


Stand By Me

by LittlestAi



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Camusisdaddy, F/M, Family, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2019-10-03 18:34:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17289236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittlestAi/pseuds/LittlestAi
Summary: Camus is a successful idol with Quartet Night. Even a great mentor for the members of STARISH. But he has a secret from his hometown that's now coming to Japan? How is that going to change his life as an idol? Or how will it affect the one that is crushing on him?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I mentioned bringing over some of my works. This is my most recent aside from Useless. I just suddenly had a burst of inspiration and thus this story was born.

Today was finally the day. I had been working for years for this to happen. The time couldn't go fast enough. 

"It's unusual for you to be anxious, Camus," Ai commented; leaning back in the Quartet Night car. "You've been tapping your fingers since we got in." 

Had I been? I hadn't been paying attention to what I was doing. All I could think about was the excitement of this day. Having to work only added to nervousness. 

"I can not help myself," I replied with a sigh; watching the scenery out the window. "This day took too long to arrive."

"Give him a break, Ai-Ai," Reiji chimed in; practically beaming. "We're all very excited." 

"Wow. Reiji has a point," Ranmaru commented; slouching in his seat. "Shocking." 

"Mean!" 

Reiji crossed his arms and pouted as he pressed back against his seat. Only it wasn't for long. We're pulling up to the dorms of Shining Academy/Agency. It took a lot for me not to jump out of the car and run inside. 

Surprisingly, it was Ai who grabbed my arm. 

"Are you ready for this, Camus?"

"Let's go." 

The other two grabbed my other arm as we walked into the dorms of the master course. Only I was not heading into my room but to the main living area. 

A familiar woman sat in one of the chairs; looking up as she heard us walking up. But that was not where my focus was. 

A little girl with long blonde hair came running towards us. Well, me. 

"Daddy!" 

I picked her up and held her close to my chest. Finally, I could carry my daughter in my arms.


	2. First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily's first day in Japan with her daddy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I adore daddy Camus is too many ways.

“I missed you!”

“I missed you too,” I replied; my heart aching at those words. My lips gently placed a kiss on her forehead. “My darling little Lily.”

She looked up at with sparkling blue eyes. “Weally? (Really)”

“Of course. I’ve been so lonely without you,” I told her truthfully.

She wrapped her arms around my neck; hugging me as if she wanted to comfort me. My heart felt like it could melt right then and there.

I looked over at the rest of the group. Reiji was bouncing up and down in excitement. Her eyes followed my gaze.

“Uncle Weiji!”

Reiji’s eyes lit up at being called uncle. I could practically hear his heart exploding. He reached for her; taking her from my arms.

“Oh my god,” he gushed; rubbing his cheek against hers. “She’s sooooo cute!”

Ai stepped to the side of them; stroking her hair. “It’s interesting how the gene pools mixed.”

Ranmaru nodded his head in agreement with a rare smile. “She looks so much like a girl version of you.”

“It’s not like you guys haven’t seen her before,” I replied; rolling my eyes at that last comment.

“But this is the first time meeting her in person,” Reiji protested; still nuzzling the child. “Finally!”

“It’s nice to actually touch her,” Ai agreed; clearly studying her face.

With a smile, I turned to the woman in the chair.

“It’s nice to see you again, Olivia,” I said; wrapping my arms around her. “Thank you for coming.”

Olivia smiled; hugging me in return. “Well, it was supposed to be for me. But that girl cannot be away from you any longer.”

“It’s great to finally meet you in person,” Ai added; holding out his hand for her to shake. She shook his hand; the other members following suit.

“I’m glad to finally meet you boys,” she replied with a beautiful smile and gestured toward me. “Since you can put up with him.”

The other members laughed and Lily joined in; not really knowing what the joke was.

“Are you ready to head to the house?”

“I have a few things left here to bring,” I explained to Olivia. “Then I’m ready.”

“Need help moving?”

What? Was Ranmaru asking to help? Ranmaru Kurosaki? Offering to help me move?

“Is that an offer?”

“Not for you,” he chuckled; patting my daughter on the head. “Only cause she’s so cute.”

Good enough for me.

“I’ll take you up on that,” I replied before he could change his mind.

Bzzzt! Bzzzt!

Ai looked down at his buzzing phone. “Oh, Masato...Starish is asking for our help. Why don’t we go see what they need? Then go help Camus finish moving?”

“Sounds good to me,” Reiji sang; passing Lily off to me.

“Let’s get moving then,” I responded; taking her back into my arms.

We all followed Ai to one of the agency’s practice rooms. STARISH stood around a piano; Miss Haruka seated at the keys. She had a red pen in her hand; making many markings on her sheet music.

Masato was the first one to look up as we stepped inside. “Ah, Senpais. Thank you for coming.”

“What’s the issue?”

“Something is off but we can’t define what it is,” Tokiya explained. “If it’s the lyrics, the dance, the singing or even all of it.”

“But first,” Natsuki chimed in as he dashed over to me and Lily. He kneeled his tall body down to her level.

“What’s your name, Sweetie?”

“Lily!”

“You have a beautiful name. Do you know who we are?”

“Nat-su-ki,” she replied; answering who he was instead of who they were. That didn’t matter to him as he took her from my arms. His eyes were sparkling like the brightest diamond. We all knew Natsuki’s love of cute things.

“She’s so cute,” he called out; nuzzling and hugging her. She didn’t seem to mind at all. Natsuki is great with children.

“Well, that didn’t take long,” Ai mused like he won a bet he made with himself.

Otoya, Masato and Syo walked over to Natsuki; distracted from their practice. Haruka followed behind them; commenting on how adorable she is.

Tokiya soon walked over; Ren following behind him as he took a swig from his water bottle.

“There is quite a resemblance between you two,” Tokiya observed. That also didn’t take long. Leave it to Ichinose to be the first one to notice. And point it out in a matter of seconds.

“Of course,” I chuckled; looking back at Lily. “She’s my daughter after all.”

“WHAAAAATT?”

Six of the members all shouted in unison. Ren spat out his drink; spraying the wall with water. He looked the most shocked with Cecil following behind him.

Masato pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket; dabbing Ren’s face.

“Since when,” Cecil asked; glaring at me for a reason I wasn’t sure of.

“Since she was born. Duh,” Syo replied in a really smug voice. “Even I know that.”

Ai put his hand on Syo’s head; ruffling his hair. He clearly wanted to correct him but couldn’t fault him for the logic.

Cecil crossed his arms and pouted; turning his back to us.

Masato actually laughed at them before turning to Lily.

“How old are you, sweetie?”

“Four!”

“She’ll be turning four soon,” I explained; smiling at my girl. Her giggling face made my heart feel all warm.

Ren glanced over to Olivia; looking her over. Was he looking for any resemblance between them?

“And who is this beautiful lady? Her mother?”

Olivia surprisingly blushed and giggled; letting him kiss her hand. She was normally a tough girl. The playboy type didn’t interest her at all. She found men annoying in general. Guess that showed off his skills.

“Actually, she is my sister,” I corrected.

He raised a brow; looking for a resemblance between the two of us.  
.  
“In law, if you want to be technical,” she added in.

“You were married??!?”

Ren’s voice got louder with that question. All of the members looked just as shocked as they were a few minutes ago.

“Engaged.”

“And where is she? If you don’t mind my asking,” Tokiya asked; putting his hand on Ren’s shoulder.

With a sigh, I put my hands on either side of Lily’s ears.

“She passed away.”

“How?”

They all started at me with interest as they asked that question.

“She was in a car accident,” I explained; forgetting I hadn’t talked about it in a while. Did I look sad? Masato put his hand my shoulder; squeezing gently. I thought I was good at suppressing it.

“It’s alright,” I continued on. “The blessing is that Lilianne in the car didn’t get touched at all.”

“So Lily was short for Lilianne,” Tokiya pondered; clearly trying to change the subject. “That’s more of an elegant name. More like one you would choose.”

I removed my hands from her ears.

“Daddy?”

She held her arms out so I took her back from Natsuki.

“She really is yours,” Ren muttered; looking down at his expensive designer shoes.

“It’s nice to meet you, Lily,” Tokiya said, bending down to her level. “Do you know who I am?”

“Tooo-Kiya.”

“That’s right,” he chuckled; patting her head. “I’m Tokiya.”

“Apparently she is a fan of STARISH,” I mentioned; looking down at her.

“Really?”

“When my brother told me he would be mentoring STARISH,” Olivia explained with a big smile. “I showed her your videos. To show her who daddy was working with. Turns out she loves STARISH.”

“Not as much as Quartet Night, though” Reiji chuckled, gently poking Lily’s cheek.

“Of course not,” Olivia giggled; elbowing me. “Quartet Night equals daddy.”

“Aww,” I laughed; lifting her up and kissing her cheek. “You’re so cute.”

Syo grinned and turned to her. “Are you going to watch us practice?”

“Yup!”

I put Lily on the floor; kneeling down to her. “Can you stay here while daddy works?”

She nodded.” Okay, daddy.”

“That’s my girl.” I kissed her forehead and stood up; turning back to Starish.

Helping STARISH is always fun but my eyes weren’t really on them. I got a few glares from Cecil whenever I looked over at my daughter. I couldn’t help it though. She was standing with Olivia; trying to copy their dancing. It’s just too adorable. All I wanted to do was dance with her.

It took about an hour but we managed to figure out what was missing. I do enjoy being their mentor; watching them grow as idols. I can see why the other members enjoy it as well. It really is sweet that they feel they can come to us with anything. There’s nothing in this world Reiji loves more than being depended on.

But we still have things to do tonight. I need to get Lily and Olivia settled into our new home.

“Bye-bye, Lily,” Natsuki cooed as he waved to her. He’s practically glowing as she waved back at him. “Come and play with me again!”

“Thank you for coming,” Tokiya said; bending down to her level. “See you again soon.”

She gave him a hug and the cool Tokiya cracked a huge smile; returning her hug with one of his own. I could tell she already liked Tokiya. Well, definitely Natsuki. Masato is good too. In fact, the only ones I’m not sure is Ren or Cecil. They didn’t exactly say anything to her. Maybe they’re still in a state of shock?

Ai picked her up; the two of them waving to the younger group.

“Bye Bye, Stawish,” Lily said with a big smile before we left the room.

“They took that better than I expected,” Ranmaru mused as we got halfway down the hallway.

“What are you talking about?.”

 

“A child is a pretty big secret to drop on them,” he replied as he crossed his arms. “They had no idea. You never told anyone but us.”

Oh, wait.

“Do you think that’s why Cecil seemed angry?”

“I think so,” Reiji replied as we walked to my old room in the dorm. “He’s the one under you and you never told him. I imagine he feels hurt that you kept a big secret from him.”

“Spooky,” Ranmaru chimed in; picking up one of the few boxes from the room. “Words of wisdom from Kotobuki.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Ai agreed; adjusting my daughter in his arms. I now know why he picked up Lily first. To avoiding carrying any boxes. Smart boy.

“You guys are so cold!” Reiji whined loudly before grabbing a box.

Olivia looked around the room; seeing if there was anything left behind.

“Is that everything?”

“Should be,” I replied; picking up the last box. “Everything else is already at the house.”

“Let’s go then,” she agreed; checking her watch. “It should be dinner time for Lily soon.”

Reiji lead everyone out the door and to the parking lot like a marching band.

“While I was waiting, I installed your car seat,” our driver, Daisuke, announced as we arrived at the QN car. Reiji calls its the Quartet Mobile. I cringe every time I recall the name.

“Thank you,” I replied in relief. I wasn’t sure I knew how to install a car seat anymore. I hadn’t done it since Lily was a baby.

“No problem,” he said, gesturing with a big smile. He was one of the few people that had been told about Lily’s arrival. And he’s just as excited as we are. “Let’s get the little lady home.”

“Can you buckle her in, Ai?”

“Sure thing,” he said; opening the car door. He’s a smart boy so I could trust he would figure it out.

As for the rest of us, we loaded up the trunk with the boxes. There really wasn’t many left in the dorm anyway. I got in the car, sitting next to Lily. Olivia pulled up front and the boys sat in the back.

“Are you ready to go to your new home, Lily?”

“New home?”

“Yes,” I replied, patting her head. “Daddy bought a new house. For you, Olivia and I to live in.”

“Yay,” she cheered with a big smile. I wasn’t sure it had all sunk into her head yet. But at least she seemed happy.

The drive from the agency to the house isn’t really long. I definitely wanted a house close to the agency. It would be best for Lily. The other members asked her questions as we drove. Her sweet voice is just adorable. I can’t wait to cuddle and hold her again.

“Looks like we’re here, baby,” I told her, gesturing to the window as the house came into view.

“Is this our house?”

“It is.” Olivia chuckled, getting out of the car. This time she took the child; making the boys bring in the last of the boxes.

“Wow, it’s bigger than I expected from the photos you sent," she commented as we entered the house.

I somehow managed to find a western-style house in the middle of Tokyo; thinking it would be the closest to what they are used to. Even more convenient was how close it was to the agency. I'm looking forward to the days when I can be home in minutes from work. Though those won't happen often. We're always working in different places.

Lily was running around the few bits of furniture I had gotten in earlier. Her eyes were filled with excitement as she explored the lower floor. She kept asking if she was really going to live with daddy. Being apart from her for so long was very hard. I'm happy for her to finally be in Japan with me.

"You can put those boxes in the first bedroom," I instructed the others, even though I was carrying a box too. "The one closest to the stairs."

"Alright," Ai answered; leading everyone up the stairs to the room. Lily trailed behind us.

"These boxes are heavy," Reiji whined as he placed them down on the floor and stretched. "What's in them?"

"Books, mostly."

"You have too many books," Reiji whined again, picking up my daughter. "Shall we go see your room?"

"Yes!"

They left the room and I followed behind; showing them where her room was.

"Shoot! I still have to assemble her bed," I muttered, looking into the room at the boxes. I've never really assembled furniture before.

“Well, see ya,” Ranmaru muttered as he tried to sneak out before I could ask for help.

“Come on, Ran-Ran!”

“I'll buy you guys ice cream if you help,” I announced as I remembered Reiji complaining about the heat earlier.

“Sold!”

“Ugh.”

How many idols does it take to assemble a toddler bed? More than four apparently. Especially with this group. Ai reads the instructions to the finest detail but Ranmaru thinks he could do without it. The two argued over almost every step. On top of that, Reiji constantly gets distracted. It took us a few hours to assemble her bed and the other beds. We had quit for tonight. Even though I still had some bookshelves and Olivia's desk to assemble. It's bad enough she ordered a pizza so Lily had dinner. I can't remember the last time I had pizza. But I didn't have the right to complain.

“Finally done,” Ranmaru groaned as he threw his hands in the air.

“You owe us ice cream,” Reiji announced loudly; wiping the sweat from his brow. “Now!”

“Agreed, let's go.”

 

I took them down to my favourite nearby ice cream parlour. Even though it's late, the place was very busy with the hot weather.

“You guys are terrible at being incognito,” Olivia sighed as we pulled into an empty booth in the corner.

Both Ai and Ranmaru were wearing beanies and sunglasses. But Ran's rocker style could be seen a mile away. Ai's hair is kind of hard to hide. Even my large hat stood out too much.

Oh but Reiji? He doesn't understand the meaning of incognito. His sunglasses are heart-shaped for god sake. He's always wearing hats like that. He's naturally drawing attention to himself; forgetting we were trying to be discreet.

“It's probably best that I go to the counter,” Olivia stated before grabbing my wallet. “What kind would you guys like?”

“Anything is fine,” Ai replied; leaning back in his seat.

“Same.”

“Agreed.”

“Alright. Will you help me pick, Lily?”

“Yes!”

The child took her hand and walked over to the counter. I couldn't help but watch her in awe. It seemed crazy to see my little sister holding my little girl. But I had to fight myself not to imagine her mother in her place.

“Camus, you alright?”

“Ah,” I muttered, snapping out of the daydream to Ai's question. “Just watching my little girl. I still can't believe she is finally here.”

“It’s been a long time coming,” he agreed; looking up as the two approached the table with a tray of ice cream.

“She picked mint chocolate for you cause it's green,” Olivia announced as she put a cup in front of Reiji.

The next cup was placed in front of Ranmaru. “I don't know she why she picked banana for you.”

Ai and Reiji had to hold back a snort. Good choice, Lily.

“Lemon for AI,” she said as she placed the last two cups down. “And birthday cake for daddy and Lily.”

“Cause daddy loves sprinkles,” Lily sang out as she climbed on my lap.

“That I do,” I agreed as I picked her up and settled her in. Birthday cake may not be the most sophisticated flavour but it's perfectly fine by me.

I picked up a spoonful; feeding it to her. “How is it?”

“Yummy!”

I took a bite myself. “It is good.”

Lily and I shared alternating bites; enjoying little conversation in between. It's funny how I'm feeding her sugar yet she seemed to be crashing. It's been a crazy long day for her. She must be exhausted.

“I think it's time to put the little lady to bed,” Reiji chuckled as my daughter started clinging on my shoulder.

“It's been a big day for a little girl,” I mused; standing up with her in my arms. “Shall we?”

“Let's go.”

The others followed behind me to the car. And it didn't take much of a drive for her to fall asleep.

And so ends the first day of being reunited with my daughter.


	3. Quartet Night's Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A photo of Camus and certain little miss has made its way around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't normally edit on my phone so hopefully, I didn't miss something.

"Good morning, baby”

Her eyes fluttered open; looking up at me. She's still tired; her eyes looked heavy.

“Tired,” she whined as she curled up in the blankets like a child not ready for school.  

“I know it's early,” I cooed as I  stroked her hair. “But you're going out with daddy today.”

I felt really bad about walking her up. Moving to a new country and travelling is exhausting for a toddler. It's a different time zone and she's probably jetlagged. I wish I could let her sleep in but I have to get to work. 

Well, I could give her a few minutes more while I picked out her clothes. Most of her clothes are still boxes anyway. I should probably unpack a few outfits if I have time. The movers put the box labelled clothes in the closet. How convenient. I quietly cut open the tape; pulling out the first article on the top. A formal dress. That can go in the closet for sure. I pulled out a few more dresses and hung them up. Olivia must have packed her formal dresses last since they were on top. I pulled out a light purple sundress. That'll work for today but she'll need a sweater if she gets cold. I dug through a mound of dresses until I found a pink cardigan.

Now I just need a hairpiece. Lily loves her accessories. But God only knows where they are in all these boxes. I really need to start unpacking.

I found a matching pink bow in her suitcase. That’ll do for today.  I grabbed a pair of tights; a few extra clothes and threw them into the diaper bag. It's been a while since I've carried it.

“It's time for breakfast, Lily.”

I scooped up her up and carried her downstairs. Olivia stood at the stove with a pan of eggs. Lily is too short to reach the table from a dining star. Just this once, she can eat on the couch. I placed her down on the couch; pulling the coffee table closer.

“Breakfast is served,” Olivia sang out as she placed three plates of eggs and toast.

“Thank you, Olivia.”

“No problem, Onii-sama,” she teased with a laugh before sitting down.

“I don't think I could get used to you calling me that.”

“Me either.”

“Daddy?”

“Yes, baby?”

“Where are we going?”

“Well you're coming with daddy to work this morning,” I explained as I patted her head. “Then we're going shopping.”

“I get to go to work with you?”

“Yes but you and Olivia will be waiting in the dressing room until I'm done.”

“Okay, daddy.”

“Can we get you dressed now?”

“Okay.”

I carried her up the stairs at her request. She couldn't reach the sink so I had to sit her on the counter.  _ Mental note. Add a stool to the list.   _ My family taught her well. I didn't even have to ask her to brush her teeth. Such a well behaved little lady. She's growing up too fast.

“Can I do your hair?”

She nodded.

I grabbed her hairbrush; delicately combing through the tangles. She has such long and soft hair; the colour mirroring my own. Or maybe her mothers. We were both blondes.

With a heavy sigh, I put the brush on the counter and picked her up.

“Arms up,” I instructed as I placed her on her bed. She held her arms up so I could take off her nightgown and replace it with the sundress. The tights came next, followed by the cardigan. There's some oddly nostalgic about doing up the buttons of someone else's shirt.  

“All done,” I announced as I pinned the bow in her hair.  

Lily hurried downstairs to Olivia.

“Shoes, baby,” she called out to her.

She grabbed the diaper bag and threw more stuff in; knowing what was needed more than I do.

As I watched my daughter put on her shoes, my heart ached. She's growing up so fast. And I missed so much of her life.

“Ready Daddy!” 

\---

“Lily!”

Reiji ran over to us as we entered the dressing room; picking up my daughter. She laughed for a moment before putting her head on his shoulder. Poor baby. She's exhausted.

“You're almost late,” Ai commented as he looked at his watch. We have it in common to normally arrive early.

“I'm not used to leaving with a toddler,” I mused before changing into my costume.

Ranmaru sat at his vanity with a sandwich; using his jacket like a bib to prevent crumbs on his costume. It's too early in the morning to try and converse with him. He'll wake up just in time to perform.

“Nice purse,” he suddenly teased as he watched me grab a water bottle from the bag.

“It's called a diaper bag,” I barked in return to that comment. “It's your lifeline when you have a young child.”

“Isn't she potty trained?”

“Somewhat,” Olivia sighed as she pulled up a chair at the center table. “It was the plan to have her fully trained before coming. Didn't work out that way.”

“I can't imagine having to do that,” Ranmaru shuddered with a groan.

I handed the bottle to Lily; helping her drink while still on Reiji's shoulder.

“Well, I am a father.”

A knock came on the door. “Quartet Night Performance starts in five.”

Reiji passed my daughter to Olivia; earning a whine. “Don't worry! We'll cuddle tonight.”

I took her little hands in mine.  

“Daddy's gotta go now. You're going to stay in here with Olivia. When I'm done answering questions, I'll come back to you.”

“Okay, daddy.”

I placed my lips on her forehead. “Good girl.”

Standing up, I waved to her as I left with the group.

\----

“And that was Quartet Night with their new song Force Live!”

The studio filled with the thunderous applause from the live audience.

“And now, we're going to ask them some questions!”

We took a seat on the sofa with interviewer sitting on a chair a bit away. The live audience was sitting across the stage; giving us a full view of them.

“What a great song,” the interviewer stated in that over exaggerated tone they all seem to have. “What is your favourite part?”

“The video turned of awesome,” Reiji cheered; shamelessly promoting our work with a wink to the audience. “Make sure watch it.”

“Our harmonies are strong in this song,” Ai added to the question. “We put a lot of hard work into it.”

The interviewer asked a few more questions about the song before asking more personal questions.

“Now I saw this picture going around online last night,” she stated as she gestured to the large screen above our heads. “Fans are curious about who you were meeting with.”

The whole group inched forward in our seats; turning our heads go the see the screen. My heart raced at the photograph on displayed. It was last night. At the ice cream parlour. You could see all of us with Lily on my lap. Thankfully Olivia, who doesn't like attention, is not featured in the photo.

Ai took one look at the photo before bluntly stating, “Olivia is right. We are terrible at being incognito.”

“Well, that didn't take long,” all I could form into words. I wasn't prepared for this to happen so quickly.

Ranmaru turned his head to me. “Are you going to tell ‘em?”

“I don't really have a choice now.”

“Oooh,” the interview chimed in with a huge grin. “This sounds juicy. What's your secret, Camus?”

With a heavy sigh, I looked back into the audience. “That little girl is my daughter.”

Between the audience and the interviewer, the studio was filled with one loud gasp.

“Tell us more,” she begged to my annoyance but I didn't show it.

“She's turning four in about a month.”

“What about her mother?”

“She passed away when she was a baby.”

“Oh no,” the interview cooed, realizing she stepped on a sensitive question. “Isn't there a rule about no romance at Shining Agency?”

“I got around that by accident.”

“How?”

“I was in a long term relationship when I came to Japan,” I explained; trying not to think of my fiancee. Not with Lily around. “I told shining when he told me about the rule. He claimed he forgot since she still lived back home. He didn't remember until I decided to propose.”

“Propose? So you were married?”

“Unfortunately the wedding didn't happen. Lil-”

I cut myself off; realizing I could hear my daughter crying. Off to the side of the set, Olivia cradled her. Carefully, I took my mic off and placed on the chair. The fact that I was working didn't even occur me as I hurried off to my baby.

“What happened?”

“She fell backstage and scraped her knee,” Olivia explained as she passed her over to me. “I couldn't get her to stop crying for you.”

“Let me see,” I cooed to her, looking at the leg. A small scrape. Barely bleeding. Not worth the number of tears she's crying. That didn't matter though. “Sh. Sh. Daddy's here.”

After a minute or two of rocking, she stopped crying. But I could tell she wouldn't go back with Olivia. Her grip on me was really tight. Guess I have no choice.

I turned around; walking back to my seat and placing her on my lap. The sound technician hurried onto the stage to redo my mic piece.

“We'll get you a Band-Aid after this,” I told her as I adjusted her dress.

“A purple one?”

“I'm sure we can find a purple one.”

Honestly wasn't sure that I could.

The technician pulled out a small package from her pocket.

“I've got one,” she said as she knelt down and opened the Band-Aid. “It's purple and sparkly.”

She smiled and covered her the scrape with the bandage.

“Thank you,” I said to her with a charming smile.

“I know from my own kids, you might want to get her shoes with grips on them.”

She looked back at the audience and dashed back behind the stage.

“Better now, baby?”

My daughter's eyes fell on the audience; immediately rolling over to bury her face into my shoulder.

“Are you shy? It's okay. Daddy's here.”  

There wasn't a single person in the audience that didn't say “aww.”

“What’s her name?”

“Lilianne.”

“And how do you guys feel about Camus having a child?”

“She's super cute,” Reiji replied with a grin to make the ladies swoon. “I would love one of my own.”

There's definitely some squeals from the audience.

“She called Reiji uncle yesterday,” Ai chuckled as he patted his shoulder. “He practically exploded.”

“And how do you feel, Ranmaru?”

“He adores her,” Reiji sang before he could even respond. “Crazy about her.”

“If you're her uncle,” he barked at him. “That makes me her uncle too.”

“They were very excited during her pregnancy,” I mused; remembering the constant phone calls. “During the last month, they kept calling, waiting to find out if it was a boy or a girl.”

“How sweet!”

“She's been already been crowned Quartet Night's baby,” Ranmaru chuckled with Reiji.

“That's adorable. Is this going to affect the fans?”

“I doubt this will change much for them,” I explained honestly. “I don't plan on quitting. I may try and work less. But I think the only change we'll be my media accounts will be filled with pictures of her.”

“As much as I'm sure you'll want to hear more from daddy Camus, we’re out of time for today.

After saying goodbye, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. This wasn't what I planned for today. And I know my phone is going to go crazy with the fan’s comments.

“I'm sorry, Camus,” Olivia sighed as we returned to the dressing room. “She just wanted you.”

“It's alright,” I replied; trying to pass my daughter to her so I could change.  

Lily whined into her aunt's shoulder. I better move quickly; practically jumping out my costume. She's crying for me. Hurry up.

“My poor baby,” I cooed as I took her back into my arms. She buried into my shoulder as I rubbed her back. “It's okay. Daddy's here. Daddy's here.” 

“She’s pretty upset, “ Ai observed; reaching up to pat her head.

“She’s exhausted. Toddlers are like this when they’re tired,” I explained to him. He’s not experienced enough to understand but he will learn with me having Lily.

“I wish I could play with her,” Reiji sighed as he packed up his bag. “Ran-Ran and I have a photo shoot after this.”  

“Fortunately for you,” Ai mused with a gentle smile. “I have no work for the rest of the day. So I am free to help with Lily.”

“That would be great,” Olivia agreed; packing up Lily’s stuff into the diaper bag. “We’re going shopping for things Lily will need. The extra hands would be great.”

“I do not mind assisting you, Camus.”

“Jealous,” Reiji whined on our way into the car.

I buckled Lily in and took the seat beside her. Olivia sat on the other side. Suddenly our car felt so cramped with the car seat. It’s rather bulky. Though I suppose it’s because it’s no longer four people but six.

“Shall I drop you off first, Camus?”

I looked over at my daughter; seeing her already falling asleep to the motion of the car. “No, drive the others first.”

“But they will arrive quite early…”

He spotted Lily sleeping in the rearview mirror. “Ah. I see. Then I shall bring them first.”

Reiji and Ranmaru silently waved to Lily as they left for their shoot. They look so sad. It would be much more fun to play with the baby than work. Reiji can’t wait to bring her to the park. I heard that Syo and Natsuki wanted to do the same. Suddenly I have many willing babysitters.

“Do you have a list of what is needed, Camus?”

“I do,” Olivia replied instead as she pulled out a big list from her pocket. My house has nothing for Lily yet.

“That's a lot,” Ai noted as he read over the list.

“Toddlers require a lot of things,” I agreed as I stepped out of the car. After unbuckling the car seat; I picked up my sleeping daughter. Ai took her and held her close. It would be better for him to carry her so I could look at things with Olivia.

“This store looks really expensive, Camus,” Olivia muttered as we entered the department store.

“I chose a higher end place,” I explained with a pat on her shoulder. “Because we are least likely to run into younger fans.”

“Oh. That makes sense.”

“But the older fans,” Ai mused. “They're going to go crazy when they find out you're a dad. A single father.”

I cringed at the mental image. He is right. No thank you.

Ai cradled my daughter in his arms; humming as he followed us around.

“She’s fine with adult silverware and plates,” Olivia noted as we walked down the kitchen aisle. “But we should get some kid cups.”

A variety of different colour and character themed cups lined the shelves. I'm not actually sure what her favourite colour is.

“Which one should we get, Ai?”

He pointed to a red cup with soccer balls. “It's not very girly but it would cute. Having something that's like Otoya.”

“I think that idea,” Olivia agreed with a smile.  “Having something to represent the idols. I hope for her to be close to them as well.”

“Then that is what we shall do.”

With Ai's help, we crossed off the whole list. We got things to remind her of each member of STARISH.

Lily’s eyes opened slowly; lifting her head to look at Ai. He gave her the sweetest smile I have ever seen.

“Did you sleep well, princess?”

She groaned and put her head back on his shoulder; not fully awake. I reached out to take her from him; realizing how long he has been holding her. His arms must be sore but he didn’t complain once.

Ai looked at his phone; replying to a text from Reiji.

“Reiji wants to know if you want to do takeout tonight. They’re really tired.”

“That’s fine. Ask if they want to do a movie night with Lily.”

The response from Reiji only took seconds with a heck yes.

“Would you like to watch a movie with Uncle Reiji and Ranmaru, Lily?”

“Yes!”

“We should pick up some snacks on the way home,” Olivia agreed; checking her watch. “We’ve haven't bought groceries yet.”

“What would you like, baby?”

She paused for a moment like she was lost in thought. “Cake!”

“A girl after your own heart,” Ai chuckled; patting my shoulder. 

 

“You heard her,” I agreed with a laugh; adoring her even more. “Cake it is.”

\----

A few hours later, movie night was just about set up. A few fast food containers waited on the kitchen counter.  A huge bowl of popcorn rested in the middle of the coffee table. Little bowls of candies and fruit surrounded it. Some cans of soda and juice boxes for Lily. Olivia gave me disapproving looks at all the sugar around for the baby. But I would let it slide for tonight. We’re all tired. And it’s important to me that she spends time with her uncles.

“Uncle Ranmaru isn’t the girly type,” I explained to Lily as we went through the children’s movies-on-demand. “So we should try and pick something he would enjoy too.”

Ai wouldn’t really be interested in most movies. Reiji would love anything. Olivia and I are more interested in watching Lily than the movie. So it didn’t really matter what she chose.  

She settled on some movie about fish. Hopefully, Kurosaki wouldn’t complain too much about it. Regardless, all our movie nights will now be children’s movies.

“Lily!”

Reiji called out her name as soon as he walked in the front door. She ran over to him; letting him pick her up and nuzzle her cheek.

“I missed you all day,” he whined as he carried her over to the couch.

Ranmaru immediately went over to Ai and helped them serve the plates. He’s hungry. That much is obvious. He brought over his plate; sitting on the floor at the coffee table. I need to finish furnishing this place.

“How was your shoot?”

“Long,” he grunted before shoving a piece of chicken in his mouth. “The photographer kept changing his mind every ten seconds.”

“We’ve been looking forward to seeing Lily,” Reiji mused; eating and holding onto her. “She’s just too cute.”

“I’m pretty sure once all the changes settle in,” Olivia explained with a yawn. “She will be more excited to see you all the time.”

“Moving to another country with a different language,” Ai mused; looking over at Lily as she snuggled herself into Reiji. “Must be overwhelming for one so small.”

“If it was difficult for me,” I agreed; nibbling more at candy than the dinner on my plate. “Then it must be worse at her age.”

“As long as daddy is here, she’ll be okay.”

After dinner was tidied up, we started the movie. Despite her long nap, Lily was still really exhausted. She couldn’t decide who she wanted to cuddle with so she had Ranmaru and Reiji snuggling each other. She is the middle with Ai; the two of them slowly falling asleep.

The sight made me laugh. It felt like a dream. My daughter is finally living with me. She’s snuggled up with Quartet Night. Ever since I found out I was going to be a father, I dreamed of watching her with them. Suddenly my wish has come true.

I decided to end the night with a tweet to the Quartet Night twitter; taking a photo of my family.

“ _ And suddenly the QN movie night has gone from horror movies to this….” _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Guests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren and Masato are coming to stay with the little miss.

“Where is it?!?”

I dug through yet another box as I tried to find the colander. This mess is driving me absolutely insane. I prefer everything to be in its place. But nothing even has a place yet. Work has kept me so busy that I haven't had time to unpack. Half opened boxes were scattered all over the place too. Not exactly an easy feat with a toddler.

The only boxes that had been unpacked were the ones from the furniture. Thank you, Shining for hiring someone to assemble it for me. But I'm not exactly able to clear out those boxes with. Reiji and Ranmaru built a fort for Lily. And it's her absolute favourite thing. She called it her castle and spends most of her time in it.

Perhaps I should get her some markers to colour it or cover it fabric. Something like that.

_ Ring! Ring! _

“Camus! Camus! My lovely Camus!”

“What do you want, Shining,” I sighed as I picked up my phone. He's always like this when he needs something. Generally when work comes up when you're supposed to be off.  

“You have an extra room in your new house, yes?”

“I do for when the others come over. Why?”

“We got an issue! Boom! Water everywhere! Pipes! Big big mess!”

“So you need a place for someone to stay?”

“Two.”

“Two?”

“Correct! Two kiddos! Two baby idols!”

Oh.

“STARISH?”

“Right-o! You wouldn't mind for your little idols, would you?”

Well for STARISH, it wouldn't be that much of an inconvenience.

“Poor Masato and Ren need somewhere to gooooo!”

“Alright. On one condition.”

“They help out with little Miss Lily?”

“Correct.”

“Perfect! Great! Amazing! They will be right over!”

He hung up before I could get another word out. With a heavy sigh, I looked over at my daughter. She's sitting in her castle. Of course.

I walked over; knocking on the cut-out door. She crawled over to the door and opened it.

“Can daddy come in?”

“Yes!”

I got on my knees and crawled through the doorway; trying not to knock it over. Cause that's happened a few times.  

“Do you remember Ren and Masato?”

“Yes.”

“They're coming to stay with us for a week.”

“Yay!”

She crawled onto my lap; looking very excited. “Will you be a good girl and listen to Masato?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to have a nap on time?”

“No!”

Yeah. I thought so.

\----

It's a good thing I'm a professional singer. It took about fourteen songs to get Lily down for a nap. She's starting to get her energy back but I can tell she's having a hard time adjusting to her new life.

_ Ding dong! _

So much for cleaning while the baby is asleep.

I opened the door to see Ren and Masato looking at me in surprise.

“They didn't tell us we would be staying with you,” Masato stated as they walked inside.

“They didn't? I'll take it they didn't tell you my condition?”

“Which I presume is taking care of Lily while you are working?”

“That is correct. Speaking of, I just put her down for a nap so you can put your stuff upstairs later.”

Ren sighed as he dropped his bag on the couch. Masato placed his bag down much more respectfully.  

“Are there any rules we should be aware of, senpai?”

“I can't imagine anything you wouldn't do at the agency that you would do here,” I explained with a sudden yawn. “Help yourself to whatever food. Anything you want, write it down. Hopefully, we'll get groceries soon. Olivia is the best person to ask any child-related questions. No loud noise while she is asleep.”

“I hope Jinguji and I don't impose on you,” Masato nodded; probably unsatisfied with my lack of rules. But honestly, my house isn't set up enough to make any rules.

“Oh. And Lily is a toddler. Don't do anything we wouldn't want her copying.”

“Fair point.”

“Since you guys are here now, I have an errand to run.”

“Take your time, senpai.”

One of the reasons I agreed is because Masato is amazing.

“Lily should sleep for a while but Olivia is upstairs if you need anything.”

I grabbed my shoes and hurried out the door; mostly to be back before Lily wakes up. Daisuke waited in the car as he was made aware of my plans.

My errand wasn't far; only a fifteen-minute drive. But it was a very important one. The receptionist smile as I walked in the front door.

“Here to pick up Alexander?”

“I am.”

“He'll be so happy. Just a moment. I'll bring him.”

Much to my dismay, with moving and Lily coming, I had to bring Alexander somewhere else. I felt so guilty leaving him here. But I did my research. This doggy daycare had a great reputation. I wouldn't leave him anywhere I didn't trust.

Alexander immediately walked up as soon as he spotted me. I knelt down to pet his head and scratch behind his ear.

“I'm sorry I had to go away. But now we can meet Lily.”

The receptionist waved with a friendly smile. “Bye-bye Alexander.”

I stood up and signed for his release before hurrying back to the car. He sat on my lap on the ride home. Alexander is not a fussy dog in the slightest. But I can tell he missed me. He's happy to go home. He's most happy that I pet him the whole way home.

“Do you remember Lily? You haven't seen her since she was a baby,” I mused as we walked up to the house. “This is our new home. Lily will be living with us now.”

I asked him to sit by the door so I could prepare Lily first. I am a little worried she might be frightened. Alexander is a very loving dog but he is quite large compared to her. I don't know if that will scare her. She has basically no experience around animals. But I know Alexander will take care of her.

I opened the door; walking back inside. Lily was awake. She's snuggled up on Ren's lap as they watched cartoons. She heard the door shut and looked up.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, my baby?”

She held her arms out for me to pick her up. I scooped her up and kissed her cheek. Her eyes were red like she had been crying.

“You had a really short nap today.”

“She cried when she woke up and you were gone,” Masato explained with a cup of tea in hand as always.

“I figured that would happen.”

I took a pause to cuddle with her so she would relax. “But I brought someone special for you to meet.”

“Who?”

I opened the front door and Alexander walked in; sniffing around the new house.

“Puppy!”

“Sweetheart, Alexander isn't a puppy anymore.”

“Puppy.”

I chuckled as I realized I wasn't going to win this argument. Puppy is fine. I put her down and she ran to hug him. Guess I was worried for nothing.  

“Is that daddy's puppy?”

“Yes, it is,” I explained as I bent down to pat her head. “His name is Alexander.”

“Awex-ndr.”

Oh lord. That is absolutely adorable.

“Alexander.”

Olivia walked down the stairs; beaming as she spotted the dog. “Alexander is here!”

She's known me all her life so inevitably Alexander as well. She always loved him. I'm glad for him. He'll be surrounded once again by people other than myself that love him.

“Olivia,” I mentioned to her as I watched her pet the dog. “Ren and Masato are staying with us for the week.”

“It's nice to have you here.”

“Because we can watch Lily?”

“Maybe.”

I chuckled as I watched Lily lead the dog into her castle. She loves him already. I don't think anything could make me happier right now. Alexander has always been by my side. And I know he will continue that for my child. My little family.  

“She looks happy,” her aunt mused as she stood up again. “It'll be good for her to have someone to play with.”

“I am relieved,” I agreed; turning my attention to a box that needs unpacking. “I've worried a lot about her being lonely back home.”

“More than anything, she just wanted her daddy.”

Ouch. That one hurt. Never once have I not felt guilty for leaving her at home. I missed everything. Her first words. Her first steps. Her first birthday. Everything. And I absolutely loathe myself for it.

I made a silent promise with her to make her as happy as possible.

“I'm going to take a break and grab groceries,” Olivia announced as she grabbed her purse off the top of the box.

“Would you like some assistance?”

She smiled at Masato like he was the greatest man alive just for asking.

“Yes please.”

Well, two of them are gone. Lily is occupied and not alone. Ren is watching her and I'm still here. But that would give me time to unpack the kitchen. Or at least one box. Hopefully.

I opened all the cupboard and stood back; trying to decide where the best place for everything should be. How I wish I had time to do it earlier. Plus I need to put all the dangerous stuff out of my daughter's reach. Should I make a separate cupboard for her things? No, it would be better to keep everything together. I should have asked Ai for help. He would have it organized in minutes.

Actually, these dishes have been packed away in a box for two weeks. I should probably wash them first. Thank God for dishwashers. I unpacked the dishes into the appliance until I ran out of space. That's one thing started.

I washed the frying pans by hand; placing them in a lower drawer. It wouldn't be an issue if Lily got into that drawer. The pots would only fit in the lower cupboards. Lily shouldn't be a problem there either. Not to say she isn't well-behaved.

Speaking of which, I should probably check on her. I looked over to see Ren was no longer on the couch; his ginger hair peeking out of the castle. She must like him. I don't know why it struck me as funny. Seeing Ren playing with a little girl. He always liked to play it cool. But here he is; playing princess in a cardboard castle.

But at least she's happy and taken care of so I can keep unpacking.

I grabbed another box and started unpacking more dishes into the sink to be washed. Alright. That's two boxes down.

Actually, there is another box I could unpack. I headed to the living room; looking for a box marked Alexander. Oh. There it is. I carried it over to the corner that I designated as his space. I unpacked his bed and set up his bin of toys. He walked over to me; immediately settling into his bed. I ran my hand down his back with a smile. He's tired.

“No!”

“Okay, okay,” Ren sighed; raising his hands. He doesn't know how to deal with a whiny toddler.

“What's the matter, Lily?”

“I don't know what I did,” Ren muttered as he left her castle.

“She's fussy,” I explained as I picked her up. “This is what happens when they don't nap. I wouldn't worry too much.”

“If you say so.”

Lily put her head on my shoulder immediately.  She's tired. Tired and cranky. I took a seat on the sofa; covering her with a blanket. She was quiet now. Her fingers gripped onto the chain around my neck. She didn't pull; just fidgeting with it. I didn't really mind too much. It's a comfort thing for her.

“She's suddenly very quiet,” Ren noted as he sat next to us.  

“You’re not used to dealing with young children, are you?”

“Nope.”

“You'll have to get used to it if you're around me,” I explained; turning myself to face him. “Don't stress. You didn't do anything wrong. She's still a toddler. That's how they are.”

“I don't know why I felt so bad.”

“She'll be happy again and want to play with you later. Don't worry.”

“You think so?”

“Yes.”

“Daddy?”

“Yes, baby?”

“Where is the puppy?”

“Alexander is asleep in his bed.”

“Auntie?”

“Auntie went grocery shopping with Masato. Are you hungry?”

She nodded.

“Let's get you a snack.”

“I'll get it,” Ren offered as he stood up and walked to the kitchen. He soon returned with an apple and a knife. “Masato does this for me all the time.”

He started cutting and peeling; trying the apple slices into rabbits. Her eyes went wide as she watched his fingers. He set the plate on the table in front of her.

“Bunny!”

“Wow, Lily,” I chuckled; surprised at Ren's thought to make her happy. “What do you say?”

“Thank you, Uncle Wen.”

“Oh god,” he muttered as he collapsed back on the couch. “That's too cute.”

“See? I told you it would be fine.”

“Toddlers are like women,” he mused with a slight chuckle. “Moods like a rollercoaster.”

“I don't think any woman would appreciate that.”

He shrugged. “Probably not.”

“We’re back,” Masato called out as he entered the front door with grocery bags in his hands.

“Thank you for your help, Masato,” I replied as he set them down on the counter. “Allow me to take over. Please rest.”

He nodded and took Lily from my arms.  “Come here, sweetie.”

I left to grab the rest of the bags from the car.  

“What are you eating?”

“Bunnies.”

“Bunnies?”

“All those times of you cutting apples came in handy,” Ren chuckled as Lily reached out to feed Masato.  

“Thank you,” he mused; taking a bite of the apple slice. “I am impressed, Jinguji. You cut them properly.”

“At least I can do something right,” Ren groaned in response.

Olivia walked over to them and leaned over the couch. “What should we have for dinner?”

“Does Lily like eggs? I could throw together a quick omurice.”

“She loves eggs. Are you sure?”

“I don't mind,” Masato replied as he walked to the kitchen. “Especially since you are offering your home to us.”

“Camus, can we keep him?”

“It's very tempting.”

Ren’s lips formed a playful pout. “What am I? Chopped liver?”

Lily climbed onto his lap and his face softened. “Would you like to cuddle until dinner?”

She nodded. He covered them up with a blanket and wrapped his arms around her. They watched cartoons silently; the tired toddler settling down.

Olivia and I used this opportunity to put the groceries away or help Masato with dinner. We were able to unpack another box. At least the kitchen is starting to look like a home.

“It’s nothing fancy,” Masato announced as he started serving plates. “But I hope you'll enjoy it.”

“Your help is greatly appreciated,” I assured him with a pat on the shoulder. “Seriously.”

He smiled and set the plates on the table. Ren carried Lily over and placed her in her booster seat. He pushed her plate closer to her with a chuckle.  “Wow, Lily! He wrote your name in ketchup.”

Her eyes went wide as she looked at the dish in front of her. “Lily?”

“Yes. That's Lily in Japanese.”

She looked so happy; beaming at Masato.

“Camus, I think your phone is ringing,” Olivia mentioned as she sat next to Lily.

Oh. She's right.

“Hello?”

“Ah, Camus,” Ai replied with a tired sounding sigh. “Our shoot has been rescheduled.”

“For when?”

“Basically now.”

Great. So much for tucking my daughter in bed tonight.

“I'm on my way,” I sighed before hanging up.

“Did you get called in?”

“Yes.”

I knelt down to Lily; running my thumb over her cheek.

“Daddy has to go to work now, baby.”

“No!”

“If you ask Masato and Ren, I bet they'll sing for you tonight.”

Her lips formed into a pout. She's not so much as upset as she is sad. Or disappointed.

“I know baby. I'll make it up to you. I promise.”

She nodded with an unhappy look on her face. I leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

“I love you, baby.”

“Love you, daddy.”

I have never wanted to call in sick more...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never know how I should write for Shining.


	5. Lullaby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camus has to work and leave Lily with Ren and Masato

“Daddy!”

My eyes immediately shot open at the sound of my daughter crying. She's standing next to the bed with her eyes all swollen. It's still somewhat dark out but the sun peeking through the window. What time is it? 

Five o’clock. Great.

“Come here, sweetheart,” I sighed as I picked her up; laying her next to me. 

It wasn't the first time she had woken up since I put her to bed last night. I'm worried that she barely slept. Well, I don't have to go to work for a few more hours. I can try and get her back to sleep. Mostly so I can too. 

I pulled the blanket over her; rubbing her back. She stopped crying as she buried her face into the mattress. 

“Sh, sh,” I whispered before giving up; singing a few lullabies. 

An hour went by and Lily was still not sleeping. Not even close to falling asleep. I guess I should get up now. 

“Do you want to go downstairs?” 

She nodded. 

“Okay. Let's go.” 

I scooped her up and carried her downstairs. I'm not a coffee drinker in the slightest but I'm going to need it to survive today. I put her down on the couch but she followed me to the kitchen anyway. With a yawn, I shuffled over to the fridge and pulled out the milk. I couldn't stand coffee without milk or cream. 

“Me too,” Lily whined as she watched me pour the milk into my mug. 

I grabbed one of her cups from the cupboard; filling it with milk and replacing the lid. 

“Let's go drink on the couch.” 

I took a seat on the couch and she laid her head on my lap. She held her cup between her two heads; drinking from the straw like a bottle. Poor baby. She must be so tired. 

“Do you want to watch cartoons?” 

“No.” 

“Hmm…Do you want a story?”

“No.” 

“Do you want me to sing?” 

She nodded. How many songs am I going to be singing today? 

“What song do you want me to sing?” 

“Saintly Tew--tewit-” 

“Saintly Territory?” 

She nodded again.  I took a sip of coffee and began the song. And again. And again. She didn't want any other song. I feel like I'm rehearsing it all over again. I wondered if that was her favourite song? I'll have to ask her one day. 

I checked my watch. 7:30. Basically, I've been singing for two and a half hours. The boys will be waking up soon. 

“Should I make breakfast, Lily?” 

She nodded. I replaced my lap with a pillow; propping her up. She looked like a little baby as she laid there with her milk.  As her father, I couldn't help but melt at the sight. So adorable. 

“Did you want cartoons?” 

“No.” 

“Should I put music on?” 

“Yes.” 

Thank heavens for Ai. He showed me how to connect my laptop to the television. This way Lily can watch videos of me when I'm not here. I found a Quartet Night-STARISH playlist. Force Live was the first song since it was the newest song. 

Lily is occupied so now breakfast. I'm not much of a cook but I can make french toast. Lily loves french toast. Ren and Masato aren't crazy about sweet things. But they should be expecting it from me. Hopefully, they won't mind it too much. 

I got several pieces of bread soaked in egg and pans heating on the stove. My daughter hasn't been eating well lately so I should add some fruit. Berries are sweet. That will work. I chopped some strawberries; tossing it with some blueberries and raspberries. 

“Daddy.” 

“Yes, sweetheart?” 

I walked over to the couch to see her watching the “Only One” music video. 

“It's uncle Ranmaru,” she replied as she pointed to the television. 

“Yes. That's his song.” 

“I want to see him!” 

“He has work with daddy today but I can ask him to come over after.”  

“Okay.”

She seemed happy to be watching his videos. Great. As if I don't get enough of him at work. Though I am very happy she loves him. And all her  _ uncles.   _ Kurosaki would never admit it but she unintentionally has him wrapped around her tiny finger. All of Quartet Night is at her mercy. Even the young Ai. He adores her. He almost never refers to her by her name. It's always princess. 

“Senpai.” 

I turned from the stove to see Masato walking into the kitchen. 

“Good morning, Masa.” 

“Good morning to you, Senpai. Can I do anything?” 

“You've done enough. I can handle breakfast.” 

“Are you sur-” 

“Masa,” Lily called out; realizing he had come downstairs. 

“Good morning, Lily,” he chuckled as he sat with her. “What are you watching?’”

“Daddy.” 

I looked at the screen to see the video had changed to a Quartet Night song. 

“Daddy is a pretty amazing idol,” he chuckled as he patted her head. 

She's taken care of now so I can finish cooking breakfast. I turned over each piece and set the table.  It seemed funny. My first homemade meal for my family in our new house. Masato and Ren were an added bonus.  One day, I would like to make a meal for STARISH, Quartet Night and my daughter. The people I consider family. 

Masa carried Lily over and helped her into her seat as I brought plates over. I turned on the kettle; knowing he would prefer green tea. What about Ren? Coffee probably. I'll pour him a cup too. 

“Did you finish your milk, Lily?” 

“Yes, daddy.” 

“Would you like juice or more milk?” 

“Milk!” 

Masato jumped up from his chair; grabbing her empty cup from the couch. He refilled it for her as he waited for the kettle to boil. 

“Thank you, Masa.” 

“Your very welcome, little princess,” he replied as he sat down again. She took the cup and took a sip from the straw. “Ah. Good morning, Jinguji.”

Ren shuffled down the stairs in nothing but pyjamas pants. His hair was a tangled mess. He yawned as he sat down (more like crashed) on the seat next to Masato. His eyes were heavy. This is clearly too early for Ren. 

"Wen!" 

"Huh? When what?" 

Ren looked so confused as he looked around the kitchen. Then it hit him. 

"Oh! It's my little lady! Good morning!" 

"Jinguji is a bit of a donut when he first wakes me," Masato chuckled as he reached to brush Ren's bangs away from his eyes. 

"Donut," Lily repeated in a much cuter voice. 

"Don't tempt me to pick up donuts on my way to work," I muttered as I started serving up plates. 

Olivia came down and joined us the table. "Oh. Onii-sama made breakfast!" 

"Stop," I groaned; cringing majorly at her teasing. "I'm sorry it's probably sweet but I made it for Lily."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, senpai." 

I finally sat down next to Lily; helping her cut the bread. She's overtired so she is struggling. She's not remotely in the mood to do anything by herself. I felt really bad and wound up mostly feeding her. Her aunt disapproved but for today, I didn't mind. I know she's having a hard time adjusting to her new life. I don't want to push her in any way. She needs time. Besides I missed out on being able to feed her. 

"Are you sure you don't mind babysitting her?" 

"We'll be fine," Masato assured me as he carried Lily around the kitchen. "I do have a little sister, you know." 

"What about Ren?" 

"He may be inexperienced," he mused, "but he's already crazy about her." 

"I know I shouldn't worry but…" 

"Olivia isn't far should we need assistance." 

"That's true," Olivia agreed with a grin. "My courses are online so it's not hard for me to pause if needed. But seriously, I really appreciate you boys giving me time to study in peace."

"It's the least we can do for Camus-senpai," he returned as he patted my daughter's head. "He does so much for us. I'm glad we can return it somehow." 

_ Aw, Masato. That's so sweet. Though you don't need to return the favour. Watching you grow as idols is plenty enough. I am so very proud of you.  _

Though I only smiled in response.

He took Lily upstairs to get her dressed so I could do the dishes. It seemed funny to clean before leaving for work. Quartet Night definitely didn't do that before. But with a child, take every free moment to tidy up. 

Once that was done, I had a shower and got ready for work. Though that didn't require much as we have a photoshoot today. Hair and makeup will be done for us. 

"Daddy!" 

Lily met me at the bottom of the stairs. Masato put her in a pretty blue dress. Even braided her hair. A matching blue flower to tie it off. 

"Don't you look beautiful?"

"Masa did my hair!" 

"He did? Wow!" 

She was beaming up at me; playing with her dress. How adorable. She felt pretty. 

"Can daddy take a picture?" 

"Yep!" 

I grabbed my phone from my pocket; surprised she could stay still long enough for me to take a few. 

"Take one with you!" 

I picked her up; taking one of the two of us without hesitation. I don't have many pictures of us together. I'll have to post it later. 

"I have to go to work now," I sighed as I kissed her cheek. "But Ren and Masato are going play with you until I come home." 

"Sad!" 

"I know...but do you know much daddy loves you?" 

"Lots!" 

"That's right. Daddy loves you so much!" 

I pressed kisses all over her face until she started laughing again. "Be a good girl for the boys, okay?" 

"Okay, daddy." 

I handed her off to Masato; waving off to her. "Have fun, sweetheart." 

"Bye-bye, daddy!" 

Leaving is now my absolute least favourite thing. But I'm pretty fortunate with how Lily reacts. I know that won't last forever. She's going to get more upset some days. I should enjoy the peace when I can. But God I miss her already. 

It wasn't a long drive to the photo shoot. It's a downtown location. A modern city man as the photographer called the shoot plans. I'm not sure it suits me but I do whatever the fans want. 

"Myu-chan!" 

Reiji bounced up to greet me as I arrived at the location. 

"You look exhausted, Camus," Ai immediately observed and noted. 

"Lily didn't sleep," I explained with a yawn after being reminded how tired I am. "So inevitably, I didn't sleep either."

"I am soooo not ready for kids," Kurosaki groaned at the thought of losing his precious sleep. 

"So you say," Ai countered, "but you adore Lily." 

"Being uncle means I get to do the fun stuff and  _ father frost _ gets to do all the work!"

"You sound like a grandma," Reiji chuckled as he reached for the other's hair; only to have his hand slapped. 

"Don't you dare say I look like one too." 

"Whoops! Busted!" 

"Predictable is more likely," Ai stated; pointing out a fact Reiji overlooked.   

"Why must you be mean, Ai-Ai?"

"How is stating facts mean?" 

"Hmmpf!" 

 

\-----

The photo shoot went fine. We are professionals after all. The photographer was the type that gets on everyone's nerves; including the staff. He kept changing his mind, moving things around and yelling contradicting instructions. As idols, we never show our frustration. We're used to it. Happens all the time. But it makes our day longer. I just wanna go home and hug my baby. 

But I cannot do that yet. Work is not over but at least we have a break for lunch. 

I checked my phone to see if Masato and Ren were having any trouble. All they sent me was a picture. 

"Oh, my word! That's the most adorable thing I have ever seen!" 

"What is Myu-chan?" 

"It looks like they took Lily to the park. She's trying to walk Alexander." 

I turned my phone over for them to see the photo. She looked so tiny compared to the dog; holding this long leash. The two people that mean the most to me. Definitely making that my lock screen. 

I flipped my phone over to show them the picture. 

"She looks so small. He's like a horse!" 

"Don't encourage her to ride the dog, Reiji." 

"She probably could though," Ranmaru agreed. 

"Would you two mind not teaching her things like that?" 

"It would be so cute though!" 

"I worry about you coming over now…" 

 

\-----

 

After the photo shoot, we have an interview to do. It's not a tv interview this time but an online one. Some fashion designer wants to ask us questions for publicity. Nothing major. Just wear their clothes and answer questions. Basic idol stuff. 

"We have Quartet Night here to answer some questions," the girl announced to her camera setup. "Don't they look awesome in our jackets?" 

I feel like they're going to add some crowd track over that piece of silence. 

"And what do you think of them?" 

Reiji was given a denim sweater with some leather patches. It's distressed. He loves that kind of look. 

"I love it," he replied as he held it up a bit for the camera. "The leather makes me look cool but denim is classy." 

Ranmaru couldn't hold back a snort at the cool part. Then there's Ai. 

"Since when is denim classy, Reiji?" 

"You guys just don't understand fashion!" 

I wonder if the designer was offended by our comments. Alas, it is not possible not to poke fun at Reiji. 

"How about you, Kurosaki?" 

"I live in leather jackets so I can tell this one is great. It's warm and comfortable. The zippers on the sides are different. But I like that." 

The designer looked delighted at his comments. "And you Camus?" 

I was also given a leather jack but it wasn't as edgy as Kurosaki's. It didn't have the zippers that mentioned but chains between the  It's a lot longer than your average biker jacket but not as long as a trench coat. It looked like I had almost a cape flowing behind me. Reiji kept telling me I looked like I was in the matrix, whatever that is. 

"I have yet to see a leather jacket as elegant as this one." 

"I'm so glad you all like my work... Now for the fun questions from the fans... the first one is... favourite foods?" 

"Heh, that's easy. Meat." 

"I like jelly personally." 

"I am known to have a sweet tooth." 

"Kotobuki fried chicken is the best you'll ever eat!" 

Reiji will never not advertise Kotobuki Bento when there is a chance to. 

"What does Ai do to annoy you?" 

"He's so mean to me!" 

"Not much…" 

"Alas, I'll have to agree with Kurosaki." EW. "Mikaze is the most pleasant of bandmates."

"Well, aren't you loved, Ai?" 

"I simply raise no issue," he replied bluntly. Simple facts. 

"Here's a good one. Your lock screen?" 

"Mine is of Syo and Natsuki performing," Ai responded; holding up his phone for the camera.  

"An interesting coincidence," I mused as I pulled out my phone. "I just changed it earlier to a picture of my daughter, Lily and my-our dog, Alexander." 

"Oh my goodness! She's the cutest thing! How old is she?" 

"Three."

Did she not hear my about my daughter? She didn't seem surprised but didn't know her age. I mentioned she was turning four in that other interview. 

"That's so precious! What a tiny little thing! Alright, next one...what projects do you have in the works?" 

"Ran-Ran and I have a new photoset coming out next week. I think the ladies are going to loooovvvee it." 

"Hmm. Probably."

"And you, Camus?" 

"I have a 2-day commercial shoot in another city but I can't reveal what it is for. That's still a secret." 

"Two days in another city...oh! What about your daughter? Lily, was it?" 

"That is correct. I'm probably going to miss my ride," I chuckled though it wasn't the happiest laugh. "I won't want to say goodbye to her." 

"Who is watching her while you're gone?"

"Ren and Masato are," I explained with my idol smile returning. "Since they are temporarily staying with us. They were talking about bringing Lily to spend time with the rest of STARISH."

"Aw! Does she like them?" 

"Absolutely adores them." 

"That's so cute. As much as I would love to talk babies with you, we only have time for one more question... okay...one for you, Kurosaki...what are your plans for tonight?"

"Plans, huh? I really just want to eat some food and crash..."

"Yeah...about that," I began after waiting for him to pause. 

"What do you want now?" 

"Miss Lily has requested your presence." 

"Really?" 

"Yes. She said I want to see Uncle Ran." 

"That's so adorable," the interviewer practically squealed in excitement after hearing Kurosaki being called uncle. 

His face fell as he contemplated what to do. He's tired and hungry but he cannot say no if Lily is involved. 

"And his plans changed immediately," Ai announced with the slightest of chuckles. 

"I'm so jealous," Reiji added in. 

"Fine. Buy me dinner and I'm there." 

"Agreed." 

"That's so cute. Thank you, boys, for coming in!" 

 

\----- 

 

Ranmaru chose pizza. Meat pizza. Of course. That's fine. I didn't really care what he wanted if it got him to see Lily. Not that I really needed to bribe him. 

"Daddy!" 

Lily ran to the door as I walked in carrying the pizza box. 

"Guess who I brought with me." 

She looked behind me to see the rest of Quartet Night standing there. 

"Uncle!" 

"Hey, there kiddo," Ranmaru chuckled as he knelt down and ruffled her hair. 

I walked over to the kitchen to set the box down and grab plates. Masato was at the sink; washing one of her cups. 

"Did you have dinner?" 

"I made dinner for Lily but Jinguji and me haven't yet."

"Good. We brought pizza."

"Thank you, senpai."

"Thank you for watching her. How was she?"

"She was fine. We played lots. She did get a bit fussy but she's tired. No luck on a nap." 

"I figured that would happen." 

I felt her grabbing onto my pants. "Do you want to bring this to your uncle?" 

"Yes!" 

I handed her the plate; making sure she had a grip on it. "Don't drop it, okay?" 

"Okay." 

She very slowly walked (more like shuffled) over to Kurosaki. She took the tiniest steps ever to get there. It's so cute. His food might be cold but it's so worth it. 

"Come up here, munchkin," Ranmaru chuckled after taking the delivered plate. He picked her up and put her in his lap. She's happy. He almost looked like an experienced parent; child in one arm and trying to eat with the other. I wanted to laugh but I didn't dare. 

The rest of the idols grabbed their plates and sat around the couches. Reiji decided to make it a movie night. It's a little late for that but Masato has her in her pyjamas already. So I guess it's fine. I gave her a bowl of grapes so she could eat with everyone. Not that I was eating pizza. I just ate a donut when she wasn't looking….

 

_ Don't judge me, Ai. _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soon I can go back to writing fics more regularly. And that means removing pages and pages of spaces. TT


	6. Idol Day Care pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily is left in the care of Ren and Masato while Camus is away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it would be cute to do a Ren chapter. He hasn't shown up enough.

"Seriously! We'll be fine!" 

I'm not sure I have ever seen the baron this stressed. Normally he's as cool as a cucumber. Leaving his daughter has him really rattled. Even if it's only for two days. But Masato has a little sister for God's sake. He could practically run his own daycare center! And does he not realize her aunt is upstairs? It's not like she's gone too. 

Camus huffed as he looked around to see if he was missing anything. 

"You have all the numbers, right?" 

"Yes, senpai," he replied with pure sarcasm. "I know how to dial emergency services." 

My joke only freaked him out more. 

"Olivia is upstairs if we need anything. So we'll be fine." 

"I guess so…well, the rest of Quartet Night will help if you need it." 

"We've got all of STARISH too," I muttered as I handed him his bag. "So don't worry so much." 

He sighed and glanced at the stairs. "I guess it's time for me to go...she will cry when she wakes up and I'm gone." 

"We'll just have to sing for her." 

He nodded and left with a face of longing. He didn't realize how hard this would be. There hasn't been enough time for either of them to adjust. 

Masato came down the stairs; fluffing his damp hair with a towel. "Showers free, Jinguji." 

"Great. I could use one." 

"I'll start breakfast in the meantime. What would you like?" 

"Hmm...eggs and bacon?" 

"Alright." 

Without argument, he went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. I should get in the shower before the baby wakes up. I feel gross this morning. I hate waking up early. But a hot shower will get me going. 

The water did feel nice on my sore shoulders. Too much practice. Which we had more of today. I don't know why I'm bothering to wash my hair before practice but I don't really care. I just feel like I need a rinse. A deep clean. I was too exhausted to do it last night after practice. 

Masato was still in the kitchen as I came back downstairs. The scent of bacon filled the whole house; making me even hungrier. But I know Hijiri is waiting for Lily to wake up for breakfast. She doesn't normally sleep in this much but Camus said she didn't sleep much last night again. 

"Can you set the table, Jinguji?" 

"Yeah sure." 

I hunted around the cupboards for kid dishes but all I found were cups. Oh. That's cute. A red cup with soccer balls. It's like Otoya picked it out. I grabbed that cup and three plates; setting them around the table. 

"Masa!" 

Lily's crying voice called out his name from the top of the stairs. She could come down on her own but she stayed by the railing. 

"I'm coming, sweetheart," he called back out to her; hurrying up the stairs. He scooped her up and carried her down. She clung onto him as she cried into his shoulder. She missed her daddy already. That much I could tell. 

She cried for a few minutes; eventually quieting down with Masato's cuddles. He assured me this was relatively normal with kids her age. She's still adjusting to her new life and needs more time than someone our age. 

He helped her into her seat, gave her some water and served her up first. Then myself but I waited as he brought a plate up to Olivia. 

"Finally. I'm starving," I muttered as he finally pulled up a chair. 

He paid me no attention; demonstrating to Lily how to cut her bacon with a knife. She seemed much more willing to do it herself this time. I assumed it was because Camus isn't here. But at least she's in a better mood now. 

"Lily, do you know who you're going to see today?" 

She shook her head. 

"STARISH." 

She smiled; immediately excited to see our group. "Tokiya?" 

"Yes," Masato chuckled with an unusually wide grin. Cute, Hijiri. "Who else is in STARISH?" 

"Masa." 

"And?" 

"....Wen!" 

"That's right. Four more to go." 

".... Natsuki...Syo…" 

"That's two. Two more go. One likes the colour red…" 

"Oto...otooyaa!" 

"That's right. Who's left?" 

"....Ceshil." 

"Cecil," Masato corrected but couldn't help but laugh at her adorable mispronunciation. 

"What colour does Cecil like?" 

"Gween like uncle Weiji." 

"I hope she never learns how to pronounce R's," I chuckled as patted her head. 

"It's awfully cute but we should encourage her to learn the proper pronunciation…" 

"You're no fun, Hijiri."

"As you always tell me," he sighed as he stood up from the table. "Can you get her dressed?" 

"Sure. Come on, Lily." 

I picked her up from her seat; carrying her up the stairs. 

"What should you wear today?" 

I opened her closet door to see one of the only things Camus has organized. All her dresses were lined up by colour. Like a gradient rainbow. A shelving unit held neatly folded tights and an abundance of hair accessories. Even a rack of perfectly lined up shoes. The true wardrobe of a princess. 

I picked up a white dress with a sunflower pattern; thinking Natsuki would like it. 

"How's this?" 

"Good!" 

"Okay! Arms up!" 

Dressing a toddler is not as easy as I thought. It's hard to be gentle but enough force to push her head through the hole. Not to mention she is squirming a bunch. But I managed to avoid getting kicked in the face as we struggled into some tights. 

"Let's get Masa to do your hair," I chuckled after getting her to brush her teeth. I don't want to imagine what her hair would look like if I tried. 

"Okay." 

She hurried down the stairs; calling out for him. He already had a bag packed for her and cleaned up. The most efficient babysitter. 

"Shall we do your hair?"

She sat on his lap as he delicately brushed through the tangles. I found it fascinating to watch. The way his fingers moved so elegantly as he braided her hair. Perfect french braids. With a sunflower clip to top it off. She looked so pretty and cute. 

"Picture," Lily called out after looking at herself in the mirror. 

"Of course." 

I took a few of her for daddy then a few of her with Masato. We promised Camus we would take plenty of her anyway.  The fans would probably enjoy it too. So it's a win-win. 

"Are you ready to go?" 

"Yes!" 

 

\-----

"Knock on the door, Lily." 

She stepped towards the door; knocking on it with her little fist. Masato picked her up before the door open and Tokiya stood in the doorway. 

"Tokiya!" 

Tokiya's cool face melted into a smile as he took her from Masato's arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck; nuzzling up to him. He chuckled and carried her into the room. 

"Look who came to visit us!" 

"Lily," Natsuki squealed as he knelt down to her. "I'm so happy to see you!" 

"We're gonna have so much fun," Syo agreed as he patted her head. 

"Her aunt told me," Masato mentioned as he pulled up a seat on the piano bench. "That we should ask her to sing the song she always sings."

"Do you sing Lily?" 

"Yup!" 

"Can you sing it for us?" 

"Okay!" 

She struggled with the Japanese but I think she sang the word, Campanella. Then maybe fly high? 

It didn't take long for Tokiya and Masato to recognize it. Masato immediately went to play it on the piano; both of them joining her singing. Oh.  _ Original Resonance _ . 

"That's too adorable," Tokiya chuckled as he nuzzled her in his arms. 

"I'm pretty sure Tokiya is her favourite," Otoya whined as he poked her cheek. "Jealous!" 

He's probably right. She adores Icchi. Maybe she has a thing for strong vocalists. 

"Same! She's too cute!" 

"I wanna play," Natsuki whined as he reached towards the child but Syo slapped his hand away.

"Practice first!" 

"Boo!"

"Will you be a good girl while we practice?" 

"Yes!" 

"I came prepared," Masato stated as gestured to the bag he brought. 

Tokiya placed her down on the floor by the wall. "You can watch us from here. Just call if you need anything."

"Okay."

"That's a good girl!" 

She's really well-behaved for the first twenty minutes of us dancing. That's a huge feat for a toddler.  She tried copying our dance for a while. It's distracting but so cute it's worth it. The baron will definitely melt at the video we took. 

But she's getting restless. Staying still is hard. Masato grabbed the bag and pulled out some crayons. 

"Would you like to colour, Lily?" 

"Yes!" 

"Why don't you draw something for daddy so you can give it to him when he gets home?" 

"Yes! I'll draw his puppy!" 

"He would love that," he mused as he set her up with a juice box and crackers. Smart, Hiriji. 

That kept her occupied for a good while. She made quite a few drawings for her uncles in Quartet Night. She would call us over to see her finished work but we didn't mind too much. She's being well-behaved and we are still getting some practice in. 

"Lunchtime! I'm starving," Syo groaned as we started cleaning up. 

"Lunchtime," Lily repeated as she followed him around. 

"Where should we go for lunch?" 

"We would be more likely to run into fans," Tokiya stated while picking up the drawings and placing them in the bag. "If we go to fast food places." 

"Maybe a family restaurant," Otoya suggested after a pause. 

"That could work," Masato agreed while picking up the toddler. "We need to find a place that's good for her first and foremost." 

"There is that one by the park," Natsuki added in. "Then we can take her to play! Otoya wanted to teach her to play soccer." 

"Oh yes! Let's do that!" 

"It's settled then!" 

 

\------

We were pretty much recognized immediately upon entering the restaurant.  At least the server tried to respect our privacy and treat us like normal customers. 

"Does she need a high chair?" 

"It's alright," I explained with that Jinguji smile. "She can sit on my lap." 

The server looked like she could pass out. Only it wasn't from my smile. It's the thought of her favourite idol with a child on his lap. 

"I'll be back with your drinks and take your order," she tried to say but stumbled over her words and hurried to the back. Probably squealing to her co-workers. 

"What would you like to eat, Lily?" 

"Pudding." 

"Pudding isn't considered lunch," Masato immediately replied to her. 

"Like father, like daughter," Cecil chuckled as he looked at her adorable pout. 

"Well, you were well behaved at practice," Masato sighed; his resolve crumbling quicker than expected. "If you eat all your lunch, you can have pudding." \

"Okay!" 

"That was surprisingly easy," Syo noted as he leaned on the table. 

"If she's his daughter, I don't want to come between her and sweets." 

"Probably not." 

"She's so well-behaved though." 

"It’s funny how much of a mini-baron she is,” I agreed as I adjusted her in my lap. “What should we eat, Lily?” 

I went over the kid’s menu with her; explaining to her the dishes. I didn't realize she wouldn't know what most of the food was. She couldn't choose since she didn't understand. I wound up ordering something to share with her. It seemed to work out well. She fed herself what Masato deemed was enough. But she had more interest in feeding me. She's so sweet about it too. And I know the waitress was melting over it. 

Natsuki ordered a parfait; taking Lily onto his lap to share it with her. Syo took a picture and sent to her father immediately. It didn't take long for Camus to reply that he was jealous. Of the parfait? Or that she was sharing with Natsuki? 

"Lily," Syo replied as he reached to pull her into his arms. "This is from daddy." 

"Daddy?" 

"Yeah. He wanted me to give you a hug for him." 

Natsuki is squealing about how cute the two of them together are. 

_ Bzzzt!  _  Oh. A text. From the baron. Why? Wouldn't be text back Syo? 

_ That's adorable, Uncle Ren. _

Huh? What?

I suddenly noticed an increase in notifications. That's a lot. More so than usual as an idol. I opened up to see that I had been mentioned in several posts of the same picture. One of Lily feeding me. It's definitely taken by the waitress. Plus there are tons of comments about it. 

_ So cute!  _

_ That's so sweet!  _

_ Ren would make such a hot daddy  _

_ Good daddy, Ren  _

_ Is that his sister?  _

_ Huh? Is Ren a dad? _

_ No way! Ren has a daughter?!?!!;! _

I couldn't help but laugh at some of the comments; getting everyone's attention. "People seem to think I'm her father." 

"That's what you get for always flirting," Syo immediately teased me when the opportunity arose. 

"You think so, Shorty?"

"Stup-" 

"Careful," Hiriji interrupted quickly. "She will repeat things we say."

"Oh. Right." 

"And what are you going to do about it, Ren?" 

"I'll post that photo of her and Hiriji," I mused as I wrote up the post for the STARISH account. "That should hopefully distract them from all the daddy talk." 

"You could just explain that she is Camus' daughter."

"I assume most of our fans would already know," Hiriji sighed as he checked his phone that's now buzzing with notifications. "But at least they seem happy with pictures of Lily."

"Well, that's all we will be posting the next two days." 

"Pretty much." 

"Shall we go?" 

"Do you want to play at the park, Lily?" 

"Yes!!”

We left a nice tip for the waitress before walking with Lily to the park. Or rather Natsuki carried her over. Otoya pulled a soccer ball out of his bag and placed it down on the grass. “Let’s play soccer, Lily?” 

“Soc-cer?” 

“It’s a game where you kick the ball into the goal,” he explained; showing her how to kick the ball. “See those posts over there? That's the goal. Try and kick the ball between them.”    


“Okay!” 

Icchi and Hiriji sat on the nearby bench; taking pictures of us running around. Syo and I were on the opposing team if you could really call it that. It’s not like we were really trying to steal the ball from a child. Just making it slightly more difficult so she runs more. Burning her energy; a brilliant strategy by Masato. 

Eventually, she got the ball inside the posts.

"I did it!" 

Otoya picked her up and hugged her tightly. "Good job! You're so good!"

"I wanna tell daddy!" 

"I took a picture," Icchi stated as he walked over to us. "Let's send it to him." 

"Show me!" 

He held his phone out to her; showing her the picture before texting it. 

"I wanna see daddy!" 

"I know, princess," he replied as he caressed her cheek. "He said he would call tonight so you can talk to him." 

She didn't look too happy about it but accepted it anyway. But at least she didn't cry. "Uncle Wen?" 

"Yes, little lady?" 

"Slide?" 

"You wanna go down the slide?" 

She nodded as she reached for me. Unusual. She never reached for me before. I took her in my arms and we all walked over to the playground. Conveniently there weren't any other kids around. I feel like a giant as I climbed to the top of the slide. But she seems happy as she sat on my lap; going down together. 

"Was that fun, Lily?" 

"Again." 

Oh boy...yeah I may have gone up and down the slide several times now. 

"Can we go on the swings?" 

"I'll take her," a rather familiar and rough voice from behind the slide. 

"Uncle Ran!" 

How come she can say Ran but not Ren? Well, Wen is cuter. 

"What are you doing here, senpai?" 

"I have an hour between shoots," he explained as he took the child from my arms. "Figured I should check on you kids. Make sure you're not having a hard time." 

"She's been well behaved so far." 

"She usually is but she's still a toddler." 

He sat on the swing with her on his lap; kicking them off to a subtle swing. She seemed fine like that; almost snuggling up to him. 

"How has she been all day? Father Christmas is worried." 

"She's been pretty good all day," Masato replied in explanation. "Ate her breakfast. Some lunch. Had a good snack. She was really well behaved during practice. We were just playing soccer and now it's playground time." 

"I drew a picture for uncle!" 

"You did?" 

Masato pulled out the stack of papers from the bag; ruffling until he found what scribbles were for senpai. 

"It's you!" 

I find it funny that a mess of lines is considered Ranmaru. 

"Thanks, kiddo," he chuckled as he ruffled her hair. "I'll hang it in my dressing room."

Her face lit up as he said that. "I also drew Uncle Weiji's car." 

"Oh, he'll love that!" 

"Really?" 

"Yes. He will. He'll be so excited!" 

She continued to drag him around the playground; giving us a break. It's not that she isn't having fun with us. It's more that she is familiar with him. And she never gets the chance to play with him. 

"Alright, Princess," he sighed as he handed her to Icchi. "I have to go now. Be good for the boys, okay?' 

She pouted with tears coming welling up in her eyes.  

"I know, I know...but I love you and I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" 

"Okay…" 

"That's my girl." 

He kissed her forehead before leaving for his second shoot. It's funny how rough and tough senpai is suddenly acting like her father. Considering her father is the baron, that's hilarious. But it is sweet. They really love her like family. I imagine that it's going to be the same case for the rest of us. 

"I think it's a good time for us to head back to the house," Hiriji announced as soon as Ranmaru was out of sight.  

"Good call, Masa."

We got our driver to bring us over. Cecil and Otoya had other work so they didn't come inside. 

"What would you like for dinner, Lily?"

"Soup!" 

"What kind of toddler asks for soup?" 

"I don't know but I'm fine with it." 

Masato immediately went to work on making dinner. Syo got roped into playing with dolls. It's rather adorable. especially with how serious he took dressing the dolls. He definitely applied his love of fashion to it; trying to explain how things work to a four-year-old. I can imagine he's going to take her shopping one day. But at least she seems to be having fun with it. 

Natsuki tweeted a picture when Shorty wasn't looking. That earned him a glare but he couldn't say anything. There's a child present. 

I wonder how many pictures of her we've actually taken today?  

"Ren," Icchi whispered as he gestured to my phone on the coffee table.  "Your phone is ringing." 

Oh. Camus. 

"Hello, Baron. How's work?" 

"It's been a long day," he sighed in an unusually tired voice. "How has taking care of Lily been?" 

"We've been fine between the seven of us," I explained as I tried to ease his worry. "She's been really well-behaved. She danced with us, she coloured, we went out to lunch, we played soccer and at the playground. Now she's playing dolls with Shorty."

"I'm on a bit of a break. Can you get her? I want to see her!"

I laid myself down on the couch; turning the call into FaceTime. "Lily, daddy is calling!" 

She dropped her doll and immediately climbed on top of me. I moved her onto my chest so she was in view of the phone. "Daddy!" 

"There's my beautiful princess! Are you having fun with STARISH?" 

"Yes!" 

"I heard you played soccer. Was it fun?" 

"I did a goal!" 

"You did? Good job, baby!" 

She beamed at the phone with her father's praise. 

"What else did you do today?" 

"Slide!" 

"You went on the slide? Did you go down by yourself?"

"Nope," I chuckled; petting her head. "She made me go down several times." 

"Aw, it looks like Uncle Ren is being worn out," he teased; sounding much calmer than before. Probably because he's seen his daughter and knows she's doing fine. He misses her so much. That's obvious. 

"What's the plan for tonight?" 

"Hmm...Hiriji is making dinner so I figure we'll play until then. He mentioned a bath after dinner. Probably play more before attempting to put her to bed. I think anyway. I'm not the one in charge." 

"You're beginning to sound like a dad," he laughed with an unusual grin. "Masato would make a great wife." 

An ‘I _ heard that’  _ came from the kitchen. Didn't sound like a denial to me. 

"When are we getting married, Hiriji?" 

"How about never?" 

"Playing hard to get, huh? I like that!" 

Woah. Icchi just gave me the evil eye. He didn't think my joke was funny. Is he mad? He certainly looks it.

"You two certainly bicker like you are," the baron continued but his eyes didn't move from his daughter. "I miss you, Lily." 

"I miss you, daddy!" 

"I know, baby! But I'll be home tomorrow." 

"Faster!" 

"I'll try. I have to go back to work now. Can you blow me a kiss?" 

She tried to but I'm pretty sure she got some spit on my screen. It's cute anyway. 

"I love you, baby." 

"Love you, daddy!" 

"Be good for Ren and Masa, okay? I'll see you tomorrow!" 

He rather hesitantly hung up but if he didn't, his daughter would cry.  Better distract her now. 

"What should we play now?" 

"Puppy!" 

"You want to play with Alexander?" 

The baron always brags about the intelligence of his dog. Alexander immediately walked over to us without being called. Lily picked up a ball and rolled it over to him. He used his nose to push it back to her. This brought her great amusement and did it again. That kept her busy until dinner time. 

"Lily, do you want to feed Alexander?" 

"Yes!" 

"I'll help you with that," Natsuki announced as he jumped up; grabbing what Camus had specifically left for him. He's very particular about what he feeds him. It's all very fresh and expensive high-quality dog food. He is his best friend after all. "Put it in the bowl carefully."

He guided her hands but let her do most of it herself and handed her the bowl.  "Careful. Put the bowl on the floor by the table." 

She slowly shuffled over to the table; carefully putting the bowl down. "Puppy! Dinner!" 

"Oh my gosh," Natsuki squealed as he watched her. "So cute!" 

"Now it's dinner time for us," Syo announced as he picked her up; assisting her into her seat. 

Dinner smelled amazing. Looked amazing too. Miso soup, rice and even vegetable dumplings. When did he get time to do all that? 

"Can you use chopsticks, Lily?" 

"Chop... sticks?" 

"These," Hiriji explained as he held up the wooden sticks. "Here in Japan, we use these to eat instead of forks." 

He handed her a set and watched her trying to hold it. Icchi helped her wrap her fingers around it; showing her how to pick up food with it.  She struggled as much as any child using chopsticks for the first time. But she was determined to pick something up without help. Her serious expression is a mirror of the baron's focused face. 

"It's exactly the same expression," Syo chuckled the same thought I was thinking. "It's tiny but identical." 

"It's like looking in a mirror," Natsuki agreed; quickly pulling out his phone to make sure we didn't miss the moment. "We should ask Ai if they have any pictures of Camus-senpai to compare." 

"I'm on it," Syo replied as he was texting Aimi. Those two share the same wavelength. "Got it." 

He edited the photo of Lily and Camus so they were side-by-side.  "It really is identical!" 

"I wanna see too," Lily whined as she watched us pass the phone around. 

Syo held it out for her; showing the picture. "You made the same face." 

"As daddy?" 

"Yes. You look just like him!" 

She looked happy to be told she was like her father. We've only been here a few days but we can already tell she's just like him. The furrowed brow and the blonde hair. Like him, if you're doing something wrong, she'll tell you. Not to mention their mutual love of sweets. 

"We should post it and tag Camus!" 

"Totally!" 

As soon as it was posted comments from  Quartet Night arrived. 

_ Reiji: OMG ADORABLE!!!! MINI MYU-CHAN!!!  _

_ Ai: Uncle Reiji needs to be quiet, please. Though I have seen Camus make that face many times so I can say they look identical. It is very adorable. I would love to see the princess but I'm stuck in the studio. If I can, I'll stop by tomorrow.  _

_ Ranmaru: that's freaky. It's the same but she's cute.  _

_ Camus: Oh. I never realized that until now.  _

_ Reiji: it's like an alien shrunk you with a ray gun or something!  _

_ Ai: it's concerning that you are her uncle.  _

The group couldn't help but laugh at their ridiculous comments. Camus didn't leave anymore but Reiji and Ranmaru were still going at it. The only real important thing was that they wanted to see Lily.   

"Masa?" 

"Yes, Lily?" 

"What's this?" 

She was trying to pick up a piece of tofu out of her soup. 

"That's tofu." 

"Tofu?" 

"Yes. It's tasty." 

"Really?" 

"Yes. Do you want some help with the chopsticks?" 

She nodded so Tokiya held her hand again; guiding it into her mouth. "Is it good?" 

"Yummy." 

"We should thank Masa for making us a yummy dinner."

"Thank you, Masa!" 

"Your very welcome, princess."

After dinner, Natsuki, Syo and Tokiya left to return to their dorms.  They promised to play with her tomorrow so she wouldn't cry. She definitely pouted a bit but was bribed by their promise of ice cream. We had planned to go out to celebrate our new song being done anyway. So we just made it more kid-friendly. 

"Jinguji, can you bathe her while I clean this up?" 

"Sure," I replied as I picked her up. "I've never bathed a child before." 

"It's not difficult," he explained with a pat to my shoulder. "Just make sure the water is not too hot or cold. Let her play for a bit before washing her hair. Bubbles help." 

"Got it." 

I'm sure I can handle it. I carried her upstairs, filled the tub with lukewarm water and added lots of bubbles. She had a few bath toys on the side of the tub already. That made it easy. 

"Arms up!" 

She held her arms up; squirming as I tried to remove her dress. 

"Hey! Keep still!" 

She giggled and kept squirming but did get herself out of her tights. It seemed sad to undo her braids but it had to be done. At least she stayed still as I slowly undid them. I was afraid of accidentally pulling her delicate hair. 

I guided her into the tub and sat on the outside. She quietly played with a fish; some kind of pretend world going on. She's talking to herself. It's rather adorable watching her. I can't see what she's imagining but it's like it's real. Children are fascinating. 

I reached over to pick up some bubbles; sticking them on my face. The old bubble beard. Classic. Do kids still do this? Or am I just getting old? 

"Do I look like Santa?" 

She looked up at me and laughed this most adorable giggle I have ever heard. "Grandpa!" 

"Hah," I chuckled; feigning like I was hurt by that. It only earned more laughter. "I do not look like a grandpa!" 

She picked up some bubbles and put them on her face. 

"When did you grow a mustache?" 

"Yesterday." 

"Yesterday? That's amazing!" 

She laughed and made herself a bubble hat. This went over better than I expected. She's giggling and having a good time. Bubbles are just soap so she's technically cleaning herself, right? 

If Hiriji wasn't busy, he'd probably smack me for that logic. 

"Should we wash your hair now?" 

"Okay!" 

"How does daddy wash it?" 

She pointed to a plastic pink cup that sat next to the sink. Oh. So he uses that to rinse it out? 

She stayed pretty still for me while I rang my soapy fingers through her hair. Even covered her eyes while I poured the water over her hair. I didn't think of that. Oops. I would have gotten it into her eyes. That would have been bad. Such small things you need to worry about with children. Things I wasn't aware of. 

"The water is getting cold. Are you ready to get out now?" 

"Okay!" 

I picked her up, wrapped her in a towel and carried her to her room. Hiriji was waiting on her bed for us. 

"Did you have a nice bath?" 

"We played bubbles!" 

"You did? Did Jinguji give himself a bubble beard?" 

"How did you know that?" 

"Because we grew up together. Do kids even do the bubble beard anymore?" 

"I don't know. I was going to ask you." 

"Well as long as she got cleaned...let's get her dressed." 

His gentle hands dried her off, rubbed lotion on her, put her in a nightgown and brushed her hair in the span of five minutes. That would have taken me a lot longer. How is he so fast? 

"We have a little time before bed. What would you like to do?"

"Lily!" 

"Uncle Weiji!" 

She hurried off the bed and down the stairs to greet him. Aimi was there as well. When did they get here? 

"I missed you," Reiji whined as he hugged his niece tightly.  

"You just saw her yesterday," Ai pointed out as he petted the child's head. 

"So? I'd love to see her every day! Besides you wanted to see her too!" 

"I can admit to being worried about how they would deal with a young child. But it seems they are doing just fine." 

"Is that why you're here?" 

"Aside from wanting to see her, yes. Bedtime is a struggle so we thought you might need a hand." 

"By hand, I hope that means one of you," Hiriji somewhat chuckled as he made his way to the kitchen. "Will take my place sleeping on the floor." 

"I should have known that was coming." 

"It's fine," Reiji announced as he took the child to the couch. "I will sleep with her. Just make sure I'm up in time for work.

"Thank you, senpai." 

"Uncle Wen?" 

"Yes?" 

"Where is the car?" 

"Car? What car?" 

I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. 

"I think she means these," Hiriji mentioned as he handed her the stack of her drawings. 

"Oh yeah! She drew his car. I forgot that's what it was." 

"You drew my car, Lily?" 

She ruffled through until the found the green scribbles. "For you!" 

Reiji's face lit up like a Christmas tree; his eyes practically sparkling. He never looked so happy with anything as he did her scribbles. 

"Thank you, Lily! It's beautiful! I'm going to hang it in my apartment." 

He was happy and so was she. She dug through the papers again until she found the multi-coloured scribbles and held it out to Ai. The expression on his face as he tried to make sense of the scribbles was adorable. He's trying to put logic to a child. Really struggling. It's cute. 

"What is it?" 

"You!" 

"Me?" 

He paused and thought about it for a while. I didn't have a clue either. 

"Oh wait. Is this my ski jacket?" 

Oh yeah. There's a lot of pink and yellow there. 

"Yup!"

"It's very nice. Thank you, Lily." 

She beamed at her uncles who seemed happy with her art. I wonder if I ever had kids, would I be happy over some scribbles? Not that I ever really thought about having any. That’s not a commitment I’m ready for. Especially after watching Camus trying to balance being an idol and a father. I’ve come to respect him, even more, when I watch him cuddle his daughter. She is very special to him in a way I couldn’t understand. But it's nice to see the strict baron being silly for a change. 

“Let’s say goodnight, Lily,” Reiji announced as he stood up from the couch. 

“Night-Night!” 

“Goodnight, princess.” 

“Goodnight, sweetheart.” 

“Night, little lady.” 

Reiji carried her upstairs to bed; wanting to get asleep so he could sleep too. 

“I’m exhausted,” I groaned as I flopped face-first into the sofa cushions. 

“I can agree,” Hiriji replied; sitting next to my head on the sofa. That was a mistake. I shifted my head so I could use his lap as a pillow. He wasn’t amused in the slightest.  “Are you comfortable there?”

“Very,” I chuckled as I started up as his annoyed face. He’s tempted to push me off. “Very.”

“I feel like Ren is about to hit the floor,” Aimi stated while getting out his laptop from his bag. 

“It’s only fun,” Masato sighed with what sounded like disappointment. “When he is awake to see it coming…..” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was getting too long so I decided to make into two parts. 
> 
> Mostly because it's 21 pages of extra spaces to remove. End me.


	7. Idol Daycare pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Masato and Ren learn what it's like to take a child to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, I'm sorry this took so long. I lost confidence in my writing.
> 
> for someone reason, archive isn't letting me reply to your comments. once I figure it out, I'll respond. Sorry! I really do appreciate your comments all my fics and I try to respond to them.

I now understand why Reiji came to help out at nighttime. Bedtime is definitely a struggle. Not so much that she didn't want to go to bed like most children. She really can't sleep. Several times she would wake up in the night. It's dark so she would cry if she couldn't see Reiji. Or if Reiji didn't wake up in time for her. Other times, she would forget and go in search of daddy. She would cry when she couldn't find him. Each of us had to carry her back to bed and cuddle her to sleep. 

I tip my hat to the baron; going through his every night and still working hard every day. 

But I for one am exhausted.  Poor Aimi and Bukki had to leave early for work too. I feel bad about that. Hiriji is damn amazing though. He let me go back to bed for a few hours while he watched her. He even made breakfast. I came down to a plate waiting for me. The two are already at the table; practicing how to use chopsticks. Hiriji looks so cute like that so I couldn't resist taking a picture before they noticed me. 

"Good morning, Jinguji." 

"Good morning, Masa. Little Lady." 

"Tokiya called," Masato explained as he helped her pick up some egg. "We've been called to a recording session so we'll have to bring her with us to the agency." 

"Tokiya?" 

"Yes. Do you want to see him today?" 

"Yes!"

"You're gonna spend the day with STARISH again," I chuckled before biting into my sausage. 

"Yay!" 

"Does that make you happy?" 

"Yes!"

Masato chuckled as he ruffled her hair before rising to his feet to clean up.  

"So am I charge of dressing her?" 

"Correct. I need to pack the bag for her." 

"True. You should be the one in charge of that... Come on, Lily." 

She followed me upstairs to her room to get dressed. There are so many choices of pretty dresses it's hard to choose. 

"What colour?"

"Purple!" 

I picked out a lavender dress with a rather poofy skirt. 

"This one?" 

"Yeah!" 

It's probably a little fancy for hanging around the agency but this is what she wanted. I could grab another dress in case we play outside or something.  Masato will be pleased to see me thinking ahead. 

She decided she wanted to put it on herself so I sat on her bed and watched. It's both adorable and amusing. She keeps getting tangled in the wrong hole since the layers of tulle are in the way. I took a picture for Camus but couldn't resist uploading it to the STARISH account. 

_ Me when Hiriji wakes me up early.   _

And he was the first one to leave a comment. "So that's what's taking so long. And also, that's quite accurate. 

"Can I help you now, Lily?" 

"Yes, please." 

The skirt was getting your way," I chuckled in explanation; holding the head hole open for her. "Like this." 

Together we managed to get the dress on finally. She didn't want her hair up but let me brush through it and clip the bangs away from her face. That's about as good as it would get from me anyway. 

"Someone looks pretty," Masato mused as we walked back down the stairs. He spotted the extra clothes in my hand; reaching for them. "I'm impressed, Jinguji. You planned ahead." 

"I'll take that as a compliment." 

"It was meant as one." 

"Are we ready to go?"

"Yes, the driver is here." 

"Let's go, Lily!" 

"Okay!" 

At least she can put her shoes on by herself. 

 

\------- 

 

"Sensei!" 

"Kurusu. How many times have I told you not to call me Sensei!?!?!" 

"Whoops," he muttered; covering his mouth but knowing he wasn't going to change it. 

Hyuuga rolled his eyes before he noticed the child holding onto Syo's hand. He knelt down to her with an unusual smile. "You must be Lily. I am Hyuuga. It's nice to meet you."

Lily immediately hid behind Syo's leg; earning a noise from Natsuki. The shorter idol picked her up but she only clung onto him. 

"He's not scary," he tried to assure her. "He was our teacher when we were in school. Plus he's an actor! He's in my favourite movie!" 

"Come here, sweetheart," Tokiya sighed as he took her from Syo's arms. "Camus mentioned she's really shy around strangers. Especially when he's not there." 

"So I guess me watching her while you guys sing," Hyuuga sighed as he looked at the little girl. "Isn't going to work." 

"Maybe I can help," Ringo replied as he appeared from out of nowhere. 

"Lily," Tokiya explained in the gentlest tone imaginable. "This is Ringo. Our old teacher. They're an idol too." 

"Idol?" 

"That's right," Ringo replied with a cute pose. "I'm an idol too." 

"Like daddy?" 

"Yes. Just like daddy."

"Will you be okay to play with Ringo until we are done the recording?" 

She looked a little apprehensive at the thought of being left alone with someone else. He walked her over to where the equipment is. "See this big window here?" 

She nodded. 

"We'll be singing on the other side but you'll still be able to see us from here. We can see you too. We're not going anywhere, okay?" 

"Okay…" 

"That's a good girl. I'm sure you'll have fun with Ringo. Then you can tell your daddy who you met today."

That seemed to work; getting her calm enough to be put back down. Masato passed his bag to our old teacher with an explanation of what's in there. Ringo sat Lily in a chair with a juice box. 

"How about I tell you about stories about your daddy?" 

"Okay!" 

We took that moment of occupation to hurry into the recording booth. It's the first day of recording and rehearsal so it's going to be a long day. We need to go over every line and the harmonies several times. The process is long and tiring but we're more worried about the child. How long can she possibly be amused?

"Wen!"

Lily started to cry after a while. To my surprise, she called for me. Not Masa or Tokiya. Me. Though I don't know why. 

I left the booth and picked her up; letting her snuggle into my shoulder. "What's the matter, my lady?" 

"I'm not too sure," Ringo sighed with a worried expression. "We were doing fine a few minutes ago." 

"She's probably getting tired," Hiriji mentioned as he left the booth to check on her too. "She barely slept. Toddlers get upset when they're tired."

"We could put her down in one of our dorms," Syo suggested; rubbing her back gently. 

"But someone still has to watch her," Cecil pointed out. "Ringo?" 

"No," Lily whined as she wrapped her arms around my neck. 

"Sh, sh," I sighed as I instinctively bounced on one foot to the other. Oh yeah. I'd seen the baron to this when trying to get her to sleep.  What else does he do? Hmm… 

" _So cool,"_ I began with the other members catching on immediately. 

_ Shake Shaking Soul  _

_ Starting new soul new road  _

The child began calming down as soon as we started singing. Music is really soothing to her. She's an idol's daughter after all. At least it's another opportunity to practice the song. 

Her tears stopped as we finished the song but she didn't let go of me. She closed her eyes and didn't make another sound. I didn't stop bouncing until I was sure she was asleep. 

"Should we put her down?" 

"I don't think she'll let go of me." 

"How can we get back to work then?" 

"It's fine," I explained as I shifted her into a more comfortable position. "I can hold onto her. I don't think the singing will wake her." 

_ Now dance with all you've got!  _

I wonder if this is how Camus feels all the time? Being a father and an idol at the same time. I didn't notice how strong he really was until this very moment. No matter what, he gives everything to be the best at both. Everything he does for his treasure in my arms. He wants nothing more than for her to be the happiest little girl. I'm finally started to understand how amazing he really is. 

Lily slept for a good hour and a half. That's the longest nap she's had since moving to Tokyo. The baron would be happy to hear that. Hopefully, that will help her be less cranky for the rest of the day. Wonder if it will help her sleep tonight? 

"Feel any better, little lady?" 

She didn't answer; clinging to me in a sleepy haze. I still don't know why she chose me but I don't mind. It's not unpleasant though a bit tiring. I'm glad she feels like she can depend on me. I was worried that I was a bad uncle. I don't know what I'm doing with kids. So I am relieved. Camus is an important person to me so having Lily like me is important too. 

"Are you hungry, Lily?" 

She nodded.  

"Since you were such a good girl," Natsuki mused as he ruffled her hair gently. "We finished all our singing so we are yours for the rest of the day!" 

She finally cracked a smile; lifting herself off my shoulder. 

"Should we go get a snack?" 

"Ice cream!" 

"Alright," Masato chuckled as he took her from me so my arms could have a break. "Let's go get ice cream." 

We took her to the agency cafeteria; not wanting to deal with any fans in public. She picked out a vanilla cone. All evidence of her crying had disappeared. She's as happy as can be with her ice cream. Syo and Natsuki are sharing one of those two-in-one popsicles. Cecil is trying a fudge pop for the first time. Otoya got one too. I'm treating myself to a chocolate cone. Tokiya and Masato?  They're boring and just drinking tea. 

"What else should we do today?"

"Wen?" 

"Yes, little lady?" 

"Daddy coming home tonight?" 

"Yes. He is." 

"I wanna see him!" 

"I know, princess," I replied as I watched Masato dab her face with a napkin. "I know. Just gotta wait a little longer." 

"Tell you what," Masato sighed as she started to pout. "Why don't we bake something tonight? To welcome your daddy home?" 

"Daddy loves cake!" 

"More than me," Cecil whined as he copied her childish pout. 

"She's more mature than you," Syo teased as he rolled his eyes. 

Otoya and I couldn't hold back a snort. We always call Cesshi the baby of the group. He's been a little extra since Lily came around. Probably jealous of Camus' loving attention. It's too damn cute. 

"Shall we head back home then?" 

"Kay!" 

 

\---------

 

"This one!" 

Lily sat on my lap as we scrolled through online recipes; deciding what to bake for the baron. She looked so serious as she looked at all the pictures. The one she chose was a brownie recipe. The picture had star-shaped sprinkles that got her attention. Masato was in the kitchen; making sure we had all the ingredients. 

A stool wasn't tall enough so she had to stand on a chair to reach the counter. 

"You need to hold onto her," he instructed to me as I lifted her onto the chair. "Make sure she doesn't fall." 

"I won't let go." 

"Good." 

Watching Masato teach her to crack an egg was adorable. The first one broke all over the counter. The second one, she hit too lightly instead. He held her hand to crack it gently; guiding her to the bowl. He even let her measure the dry ingredients. It's so cute. She's trying to precise like her father. That serious face is just like his. She's really a mini-baron. 

Mixing was her favourite part. She didn't want to like the spoon and insisted that I do it. To please her, I did. Sweets aren't too bad sometimes, right?

While it was in the oven, we made the buttercream. She couldn't stop smiling when Masato let her us the egg beater. It looked like she was having fun. He definitely made sure to take pictures of her for the STARISH account. Idol-daycare has become a hashtag for us. 

That and the baron will melt at the sight. 

It needs to cool before we can frost it. In the meantime, I did the dishes and Hiriji got her into her pyjamas. I could hear him singing to her from downstairs. It's so adorable. 

"Sprinkles, sprinkles," she sang as he carried down the stairs. "Sprinkles for daddy!" 

"What colour?" 

"Wainbow."

"Okay. Rainbow."

I went through the pantry; searching through Camus' rather large selection of sprinkles. Who actually needs eight bottles of sprinkles? I found the rainbow sprinkles and headed back to them. Her tiny hands gripped onto a spatula as she tried to spread the frosting. 

"Do you want to do the sprinkles, Lily?" 

"Yes!"

I handed her the bottle after opening the lid. Before Masato could say anything, she poured the entire bottle in one spot. 

"Whoops." 

"What did you think would happen with a toddler?" 

"My bad! We better spread it out." 

The front door opened and a very tired baron walked in. Alexander was the first to hear the door; hurrying over to greet him. 

"I missed you too," he sighed as he petted his most loyal companion. 

"Daddy," Lily called out as soon as she heard his voice. She quickly got off the chair and ran into his arms. 

"My baby! What are you still doing up?" 

"She insisted on seeing you," Masato replied as he began cleaning up the rest of the mess. 

"We made you brownies," Lily announced with a huge smile on her face. 

"You did?" 

"Yes!" 

"Thank you, baby," he mused as he kissed her cheek. Then he spotted the pan on the counter. "That's a lot of sprinkles…" 

"Daddy loves sprinkles!" 

"I do. Shall we share a piece, Lily?" 

"Yeah!" 

"Right After that, it's brushing your teeth and bed." 

"Okay." 

He sat at the table with her in his lap and a small slice of brownie. Small by his standards anyway. 

"Did you have fun with STARISH?" 

"Yes!" 

"What did you do?" 

"Ice cream!" 

"You got ice cream? Wow! That's pretty nice….Was she well-behaved?" 

"A bit fussy this afternoon," Masato explained as he sat down with some tea. "But she took a proper nap today. Did not sleep much last night though." 

"She took a nap? What a miracle." 

"We had lots of fun," I yawned as I pulled out my phone to hand to me. "You'll have to assemble all of us to see every picture. We took so many." 

He gladly took the phone and flipped through the pictures; making small comments about how cute she is. 

"I'm glad she had such a good time with you," he mused as he nuzzled the child in his arms. "I'm relieved to hear it went well. I was worried." 

"No problems to report," Masato agreed before my yawns spread to him. "Aside from her not sleeping, she's an angel." 

"Sounds like her," the baron chuckled as he realized what I was up to. "I think you wore out your uncle Ren." 

"Jinguji, you'll hurt your neck sleeping at the table." 

"Nnnhhh." 

He gently shook me awake. "Come on, Jinguji. I'll take you to bed." 

"Night night, Uncle Wen." 

"Goodnight, my little lady." 

That was the last thing I remember saying that night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Normally, I prefer to use my own lyrics but I did use the silvermoon249.livejournal.com for the translation of Rainbow Dream


End file.
